
OassJl_G_2Z 
BookJLi.! 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

DOMESTIC AND BOTANICAL REMEDIES 



SIMPLIFIED AND EXPLAINED 



FOR FAMILY TREATMENT. 

WITH A TREATISE UPON 

SUSPENDED ANIMATION, 

THE DANGER OF BURYING ALIVE, 

AND 

Directions for Restoration. 






BY / 

MOORE RUSSELL FLETCHER, M.D. 

FELLOW OF THE MASS. MED. SOC. SINCE 1837. 



1 Know then thyself, presume not God to scan; 
The proper study of mankind is man." — Pope. 







BOSTON :v 
PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR. 







Copyright, 

By A. C. Fletcher. 

188-v 



ELECTROTYPED. 
BOSTON STEREOTYPE FOUNDRY, 

NO. 4 PEARL STREET. 



a a r A 



TO 

£Hg Bclobrti miU, 

AXXE CATHARINE ALLANSHAW FLETCHER: 

A MOST AFFECTIONATE AND DEVOTED MOTHER, 

A TRUE FRIEND, WITH SYMPATHY AND KINDNESS FOR ALL IN THE 

HOUR OF ADVERSITY; WITH UNSELFISH FORTITUDE 

AND BENEVOLENT PERSEVERANCE 

IN THE RIGHT : 

AND OUR SURVIVING SON, 

JOHN MACMASTER FLETCHER. 

WHOSE UNTIRING ZEAL AND CONSTANT EFFORTS IN THE COMPILATION OF THIS 
WORK, HAVE CONFERRED ON THE WRITER, AND THROUGH HIM HIS 
READERS, A LASTING OBLIGATION WORTHY OF COMMENDA- 
TION; WITH ALL PROGRESSIVE THINKERS OF THE 
PRESENT AGE, WHO ENTERTAIN LIBERAL 
VIEWS UPON THE GREAT QUES- 
TIONS OF LAW, MEDICINE, 
AND HUMANITY, 

WORK IS WITH GREAT SINCERITY DEDICATED 
BY THE AUTHOR. 



PREFACE. 



This book is intended for the people, — the farmer, the 
mechanic, and the laboring man ; the bone, muscle, heart, 
and lungs of the nation, in whose integrity, good sense, 
and judgment we have great confidence, — but not to the 
exclusion of the educated or professional classes. We know 
there are several family medical books in the market, but, 
as regards placing them in households there are in most 
cases serious objections ; such as their large size, price, 
scientific terms used, and, more especially, because of the 
description and method of treatment of certain diseases, 
information about which is highly improper to be placed 
in families where it can be read by the young of both sexes. 
This objection alone has in many instances excluded such 
books from the home circle. We have, therefore, avoided 
these objectionable features, and endeavored to render this 
volume suitable for any family library, where fathers and 
sons may peruse it for reason and reflection, and mothers 
and daughters can consult it with propriety and profit. 

This book is not intended to do away with physicians, 
for our readers will see that we advise employing them in 
all difficult and dangerous cases. We hope to give such 
information, by describing the symptoms of diseases, and 
directing such treatment as will enable intelligent men 
and women to care for the lesser ills of the family, by 
using domestic remedies ; these are cheap, simple, safe, 
and effective, and will often relieve the sufferer speedily, 
avoid delay, save the journey after a doctor, and the ex- 

v 



VI PREFACE. 

pense of his bill. Such cases as can be treated only by a 
physician or surgeon we have omitted. 

We hold it a self-evident truth, that every individual is 
intrusted with the care of himself, physically and intellect- 
ually, and has a right to all the knowledge he can acquire, 
upon all subjects, medicine, law, and theology not ex- 
cepted ; for, the more extended his information, the better 
he is prepared for the duties of life. Knowledge of our- 
selves is one of the first demands of Nature, and is to 
woman, above everything, of vital importance. 

Multitudes of young men and women begin life in a 
deplorable state of ignorance, disregarding the laws of 
health. The natural result is the greatest suffering and dis- 
appointment, for which the parents to a great extent are 
responsible. We earnestly hope our advice will reach and 
benefit that class. 

We discountenance the use of mineral medicines and 
powerful drugs, and some of the evil results which follow 
their use have been pointed out. 

Regardless of the profession and their divine right, — 
which consists in writing prescriptions in Latin, thereby 
blinding the people, and keeping them in ignorance of the 
medicines they are taking, — our aim has been to give, in 
plain English, such information as has heretofore been 
held as exclusive by' a few. Here is a case in point : A 
Boston doctor went to an adjoining town in haste to see a 
patient, wrote a prescription (in Latin), and sent, the gar- 
dener to Boston to have it put up. Upon his return, the 
master of the house examined the articles called for in the 
prescription, and was enraged, as they were all in the 
house in quantities, and were as follows : — 

Latin. English. 

R. Olei Terebinthinae, § iv. Spirits Turpentine, 4 ounces. 
Pulv. Carbonas Ligni, § ij. Fine Charcoal, 2 ounces. 
Humuli Lupuli, S viii. Hops, 8 ounces. 



PREFACE. Vll 

While writing this work we have consulted many authors, 
to all of whom we tender our thanks, whether we accepted 
or rejected their views, for we often learn more by rejec- 
tion than by adoption. 

The latter part of this work is devoted to the subject of 
suspended animation and resuscitation, — a theme which 
we think must interest all thinking persons. 

Trusting that we have contributed to the general stock 
of knowledge beneficial to humanity, we will abide the 
judgment of our readers. 

With pleasure we extend our cordial acknowledgment 
to Messrs. A. S. Barnes & Co., of New York, for twenty- 
eight plates of illustration in this work, from J. Dorman 
Steele's Human Physiology, from No. 4 to 32, inclusive. 

The Author. 



Fig. 




SKELETON OF THE HUMAN FORM. 



THE HUMAN FORM. 



The skeleton, which is composed of about two hundred 
bones, is the frame. The number of bones varies in youth 
and manhood, several of those which are separate at birth 
uniting and becoming one in after-life. For example, the 
bones of the lower part of the spinal column, the sacrum, 
and four little bones unite and become one ; also the bones 
of the head, or cranium, which are separate in infancy, 
and the edges of which can be lapped in childbirth, unite 
as the frame becomes mature, and form one firm, globular 
cavity of bone. This latter, instead of being composed of 
one solid thickness, has two plates, between which is a 
fine, spongy texture of bony substance, which arrangement 
clearly demonstrates the wisdom of the great Creator and 
Architect. In the first place, the cranium is much lighter ; 
in the second, it is a better protection to the brain, possess- 
ing greater power of resisting blows and injuries, than if 
solid ; and in the third, it allows the enlargement of the 
bones as the brain grows with advancing age. 

Bones differ in their formation according to the purposes 
they are' to serve : some are for lightness, others for 
strength, some are flat and irregular ; but evety one is gov- 
erned by a due proportion to the others, so that from any one 
bone, a veiy exact measurement may be made of the dimen- 
sions of its original occupant. 



IO 



OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



The bones are larger at their ends, to afford a better 
bearing for the joints ; they are also spongy in their struc- 
ture, and are thereby able to sustain sudden weight or 



Fig. 2. 



Fig- 3 



I 



m 



The thigh-bone 
sawed lengthwise, 
to show its hollow 
cavity and spongy 
ends. 




A thin slice of bone magnified. Bones in the body are 
not dry, dead things, bat moist, living structures, covered 
with a membrane called periosteum. 



fall without fracture. The long bones are hollow, which 
gives them greater strength, and allows a chamber for 
the marrow, in which to perform its numerous and im- 
portant functions. 



THE HUMAN FORM. 



II 



Bone is estimated twice as hard as white oak, and there 
would be required to crush a cubic inch of it, a weight 



Fig. 4. 



<c 



of from three to five tons, the resisting 
power varying according to the age of the 
bones ; those of an old person having 
more lime and less strength. It is not 
unusual for aged persons, from slight falls 
or coming down stairs, to fracture their 



Fig. 5- 



m 




THE SKULL. 



.parietal bone; 3. temporal bone; 
■,. ethmoid bone; 6. superior maxil- 



malar bone ; 8. lachrymal 
10. inferior maxillary (under 



1. Frontal bone; 
4. sphenoid bone ; 
B lary (upper jawbone) ; 

bone; 9. nasal bone; 
jawbone). 
The Spine of twenty- 
four bones, with a carti- 
lage between every two bones, and, when so broken, they rarely 

bones, which serves as a 
pad, or cushion, for pro- 
tection of the brain and 
body from jars and falls. 
a. The Sacrum, b. The 
Coccyx. 



thigh bones. 



unite and become as strong as before such 
injury. We once knew an old man, who 
in his haste to get out of bed, broke both 
They never united. 



OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

Fig. 6. 




«l « 6 

The admirable adaptation of the human hand for the 
business and purposes of life, are displayed in its mechani- 
cal structure ; and upon reflection, we see the operation of 
those invisible telegraphic lines (nerves) from the brain, 
which transmit messages of thought, and return to the 
brain an unfailing report of the slightest injury of the 
operatives at the outward terminus. 

Fig. 7. 




The wonderful skill in the formation and adjustment of 
the head of the thigh-bone to the socket or cavity in the 
bone of the pelvis, with the ligament which holds it in its 
place ; to guard against dislocation, although simple in 
form, is a marvellous display of infinite wisdom and bene- 



THE HUMAN FORM. 

Fig. 8. 




FRONT MUSCLES OF THE HUMAN FORM. 



H 



OUR HOME DOCTOR. 
Fig. 9. 




BACK MUSCLES OF THE HUMAN FORM. 



THE HUMAN FORM. 



15 



ficent power. The attachment of the arm at the shoulder 
joint has no such ligament ; hence its greater motion and 
frequency of dislocation. 

THE HOUSE WE LIVE IN IS WONDERFULLY MADE. 
First, a frame of bones ; second, a covering or boarding 
in of muscles, the number of which Fig. 10. 

is about five hundred ; they are called J- 

superficial and deep-seated, and are in te-r-^ 

pairs, except twelve single muscles, l^fs^^C'-. \ 

each having its antagonist, They are '"\..r 

divided into two classes, the voluntary, iBHr 

or those controlled by the will ; and 
the involuntary, or those acting inde- 
pendently of the will, — such as the 
heart, stomach, diaphragm, and intes- 
tines. A few are both voluntary and 
involuntary. Third, an outer covering 
or clapboarding by the skin. 

SKIN. 
This is composed of three layers, the 
cutis or inner ; the rete mucosum, or 
network of circulating vessels, called 
lymphatics, and the cuticle or outer 
layer. It is a well understood fact, 
that the lymphatics of the body give 
out the odors of substances taken into 
it, and also absorb liquid substances 
upon it. conveying it to all parts of 
the system. That onions placed on 
the feet, are smelled at the breath in a 
short time ; and we have ordered lini- 
ment in which was spirits turpentine, 
and when used more than directed, 
it went to the stomach, causing vomiting and purgin 




\ 



Lymphatics ot the leg, 
with glands at the hip. 




1 6 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

The chest is composed of a portion of the spine, to which 
the ribs are attached, and extend around the sides with 
a double curve (one around the lungs and heart of a 
semi-circle, and the other a downward curve), thereby 
allowing them to expand and contract, as they are being 
filled and emptied of air in respiration. The ribs are 
attached in front to the breast-bone by cartilages, which 
allows them to bend without injury, when the ribs are 
compressed. 

Ft? ii 




THE CHEST. 

Then comes the lining, or finishing of the room inside 
(called cavity), which is called the pleura, and lines the 
thorax or chest, which contains the heart and lungs, they 
being securely fastened above, and held up by a flooring 
called the diaphragm. 

The form of the heart and lungs will be hereafter 
illustrated, and their important functions explained. 

The heart or pump is located in the chest or thorax. It 
is a hollow muscle, pear-shaped, with the apex downwards. 
Its length is from five to five and a half inches, and its 



THE HUMAN FORM. 



17 



width from four to four and a half inches, when contracted 
and emptied of arterial and venous blood. It is enclosed 
in a loose serous membrane or sac (called peri, about, and 
cardia> the heart), pericardium. It throws arterial blood 
through the dorta, and thence through the countless small 
arteries to every minute particle of the body ; from whence 
it is returned through the veins, as dark or venous blood 
to the heart, 

Fig. 



from which it is thrown to the lungs for vitali- 



A. Right ventricle ; 
other letters see Figs. 




right uricle; 



left uricle, and for 



zation, by oxygen and electrical influences ; from whence 
it is drawn by the force of the vacuum in the heart, and 
by the respiratory force of the lungs, back into the heart, 
and again throws out arterial blood, through the system. 
Each ventricle and auricle is estimated to hold a wineglass 
full of blood. The valves serve as gates, by closing, pre- 
vent the blood from flowing: backwards. 



i8 



OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



VENTRICLES AND AURICLES OF THE HEART. 
Fig. 13- 




A Right ventricle; B. left ventricle; C. right auricle; D. left auricle; E. tricus- 
pid valve ; F. bicuspid valve; G. semilunar valve; H. valve of the aorta ; 1. inferior 
vena cava ; K. superior vena cava ; L.L. pulmonary veins. 




Showing the fibrous structure of the heart and shape of the valves. A. tricuspid 
valve; B. bicuspid valve; C. semilunar valves of the aorta; D. semilunar valves of 
ths pulmonary artery. 



THE HUMAN FORM. 



19 



THE LUNGS, 
Showing the larynx, windpipe, and bronchial tubes. From 
the larynx the windpipe extends down in front of the 
oesophagus, and is strengthened by ringlike cartilages ; 
the lower end of the windpipe divides into two branches, 
called right and left bronchi ; these subdivide into number- 
less branches and ramifications, like fine branches of the 
twigs of a tree, so minute that there are, by estimation in 
all, six hundred millions. 

Fig- A5- 




The lungs are invested or covered with the pleura in a 
two-fold form ; one layer is attached to and covers the lungs, 
and another layer covers or lines the walls, or cavity of 
the chest or thorax. The lungs are sensitive to the pres- 
ence of impure air. We notice this when the air is offen- 



20 



OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



sive, and a cough at once repels the offending substance, 
be it gas, vapor, or dust. 

Below the diaphragm is the greater cavity, called the 
abdomen, which is lined by a membrane called the peri- 
toneum. In the upper portion of this cavity is the stomach, 
which is suspended and hangs, or lies, in front, extending 
backward to the right side, while the liver, the largest 

Fig. ib. 




The thorax or chest and abdomen, with their viscera or vital organs. A. the heart ; 
B. the lungs ; C. the diaphragm ; D. the liver ; E. the gall cyst ; F. the stomach ; G. 
the small intestines ; H. the large intestines, or transverse colon. 

gland in the body, is firmly attached at its upper portion 
and placed in the right side of the cavity. 

Below the stomach and liver are the intestines, which 
are divided into six sections ; viz. duodenum, jejunum, 
ileum, coecum, colon, and rectum, each having its peculiar 
functions to perform in combination with the other portions. 



THE HUMAN FORM. 



21 



There are two distinct 
masses of the brain, the 
cerebrum and the cere- 
bellum, from which are 
given nerves of motion, 
and sensation ; its aver- 
age weight is fifty 
ounces. 



Fig. 17. 




The surface of the cerebrum, showing its two 
lobes and convolutions 



Fig. 18. 




The brain or nerve centre, from which originates the twelve pairs of nerves. E. F. 
the cerebrum; D. the cerebellum, showing the arbor vitae (tree of life); G the eve ; 
H. the medulla ablongata; A. the spinal cord ; B. and C. the first two pairs of spinal 
nerves r 



22 



OUR HOME DOCTOR. 
Fig. 19. 




The nerves of motion and sensation, after leaving the 
brain, divide and subdivide so minutely that the touch of a 
pin to a finger or any part of the body, is carried to the 



LAWS OF NATURE. 23 

brain ; and so distinct, and separate are the nerve lines, that 
the identical part is reported. 

The bladder (and womb in females) are located at the lower 
part of the abdomen, and, although in one sense in the cav- 
ity of the abdomen, are outside of the peritoneum or lin- 
ing, which entirely envelops them within the abdominal 
cavity. The intestines in an adult are about twenty-five 
feet in length, the lower part being the largest. The heart, 
or pump, is located in the chest or thorax, and throws the 
arterial blood through the countless small arteries, to every 
minute particle of the human body, from whence it is re- 
turned, as dark or venous blood, through the veins to the 
heart, from which it is in turn thrown to the lungs, for 
vitalization by oxygen and electrical influences. Lastly, 
there are the two distinct masses of the brain, the cere- 
brum and the cerebellum, from which are given off nerves 
of motion and sensation, which divide and subdivide so 
minutely, as to detect the smallest touch of a pin's point at 
any part of the body. 

THE LAWS OF NATURE, 

To which all her children are answerable, must be under- 
stood and obeyed, else we must pay the penalty of trans- 
gression. The evil habits of youth entail upon manhood 
poverty and weakness, causing life-long sorrow. A strained 
muscle, or injured joint, may apparently recover its former 
strength, but the weakness is felt in after years ; and thus 
we may see that it is much easier to preserve health, than 
to cure disease. 

In childhood we learn how Nature punishes a violation 
of her laws by falls, burns, or cuts ; and we should not fail, 
in riper years, to note the certain punishment which is 
entailed by bad habits. Nature supplies us with a foun- 
tain of health, and leaves us to draw from it as we will ; 



24 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

and thousands waste or destroy during y but Ji and early man- 
hood, an amount of physical strength, which would have 
served them during a long life, and learn from bitter experi- 
ence the difference between folly and wisdom. 

Most of our knowledge comes from experience, too late 
for improvement. We eat and drink too much, over- 
work, go without food and sleep, thinking all will be right 
after a rest ; but later in life, Nature will refuse our drafts, 
and they will be returned protested. Dame Nature keeps 
an exact account ; we may find a cure for a disease, but 
the system is never the same afterwards ; a wound may be 
healed, but tJie scar remains forever — we reap as we sow, 
from folly, thorns, and thistles ; or from wisdom, rejoice in 
a hale, happy manhood, and a cheerful, sunny old age. 

SELF-KNOWLEDGE. 

" Know thyself," is a Greek proverb which will be quoted, 
in all languages, till the end of time. To know ourselves 
is to have some clear idea of our origin, healthy develop- 
ment, powers, capabilities, and a rational regard for what 
we should do, and what avoid, to promote the most desir- 
able objects of life. First, The mother, during pregnancy, 
should be surrounded with everything pleasant and agree- 
able, such as books, pictures, paintings, and cheerful friends. 
Second, The mother should see that the child has sufficient 
nourishment at proper times. Third, She should see that 
it has suitable clothing at all seasons. Fourth, The child 
should have proper training and exercise, to strengthen 
and develop the physical, and enlarge the mental powers. 
The result of this will be, strong, healthy, intelligent men 
and women, adapted for the procreation and perpetuation 
of the human race in its highest type. 



VENTILATION. 2$ 



VENTILATION 



Is a subject which has been very generally discussed by 
public speakers and by journalists. 

It is a self-evident truth, that all animal life requires air 
for its healthy subsistence, and that the same air cannot 
be breathed more than once, without causing, to a greater 
or lesser extent, suffocation, and eventually death It is a 
fact that no fire in stove, grate, or fireplace will burn well 
or draw freely, without a current of air into the room. 
If the windows and doors are so tight as to prevent the 
ingress of air, an open fireplace will create a current of air 
downwards, while the heated air is passing up. Houses 
built upon the sensible plan will have a pipe from one to 
two inches in diameter, to admit air into every room, ter- 
minating near the stove or furnace, that the air may be- 
come warm. There should also be an opening at the top 
of the room, to let the air escape. Each pipe should have 
a valve or regulator. Many persons open wide the window 
in their sleeping-room in all weather, which is imprudent. 
The window may be raised from three to eight inches, 
according as the weather is fair or stormy, and varying 
with the size of the room, and the number of sleepers in it. 
We advise having one pane in a frame, and on hinges, or a 
register ventilator. Our forefathers required no venti- 
lators in houses or barns ; — their windows and doors were 
so loose, that plenty of air went in, and the boards in their 
barns were so far apart, that snow and rain blew in upon 
their cattle. 

STATISTICS OF MALES AND FEMALES. 

ist. The distinction of sex was no accident or after- 
thought of the Creator, in the formation of the individual, 
but commenced with the first conception of life. The 



26 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

most patient investigator with microscope, has not been 
able to discover any cause of sex, other than that imprinted 
upon the individual by the Creator, at the moment of con- 
ception. There has been nothing discovered in the human 
germ, which distinguishes the male from the female, and 
yet sex is the earliest and most potent element of human 
life. It controls and modifies all other traits. From birth, 
the distinctions are numerous and marked. 

2d. Physicians, from a careful weighing and measuring, 
have established the following interesting facts : Male chil- 
dren at birth weigh, on an average, one pound more than 
females, — that is, eight pounds for males, and seven for 
females ; the stature of males is from a half to an inch 
greater than females, and their pulse a few beats more 
in a minute. As the boy grows, his bones and muscles are 
developed, quite unlike his sisters. His bones are larger, 
flesh firmer, and his force greater. He delights in rude 
exercises, which she avoids. These traits indicate his des- 
tiny and ability to engage in the rough battles of life, 
while the female instinctively develops the gentle, social 
traits, which are so marked in the family circle, in her after- 
life or womanhood. 

French statistics give the average weight of an adult 
male at one hundred and thirty-seven pounds, and the 
height at five feet four inches. In England the gymnasium 
reports give the average weight of one hundred young 
men at one hundred and thirty-three pounds, and their 
height a little over five feet nine inches. 

In Harvard, Amherst, Bowdoin, and other colleges in 
America, the average weight is reported at one hundred 
and thirty-nine pounds, and the height at five feet eight 
inches. The average height of American women is five 
feet four inches, and their weight one hundred and twenty- 
nine pounds. The average weight of the men of America 
is put down at one hundred and fifty pounds ; that is, the 
working and business men. 



HEALTH. 27 



HEALTH. 

Health is beyond question the foundation of all physical 
happiness and comfort, and none will deny that mental 
happiness is dependent upon a sound bodily condition. 
The ancients thought, that disease was the result of evil 
spirits taking possession of the body, or parts of it, and 
deranging its functions ; or the result of an overruling 
Providence, as a judgment, for some sin of the sufferer or 
some ancestor. Hence incantations, spells, fasting, and 
prayer. This subject furnishes abundant material for long 
discussions. It is not our purpose, however, to enter into 
such discussions, but to be as brief as possible. 

In order to maintain a sound bodily condition, a cer- 
tain quantity and quality of food, at proper times, is 
requisite, and to be taken under proper conditions. We 
need sufficient sleep to restore the body after labor ; exer- 
cise for the development of the various parts, a suitable 
amount of clothing to insure warmth, and an abundant 
supply of good air to breathe. A lack (or in some cases 
an excess) in any of these will result in an ailment of some 
sort. If we eat too much food, very rich or very poor in 
quality, or do not have enough nourishment, there is a 
penalty to be paid ; if we breathe foul air, the lungs imme- 
diately suffer ; if we lose our sleep, or do not indulge in 
any exercise or physical exertions or labor, if we do not 
have sufficient clothing, — these all bring an ill of some 
kind, so that some organ suffers, and, these being inti- 
mately connected, when one is afflicted, the others sympa- 
thize. For this reason we assert, that in the great 
majority of cases, sickness is the result of our indiscre- 
tion, and therefore our own fault. How are we to prevent 
this ? We believe by paying proper regard to our diet, 
getting plenty of exercise, and having regular habits. 



28 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

Where one individual dies from want of food, hundreds 
die from over-eating, or the complaints brought on by such 
a course. Eat less food ; make a few rules, and live by 
them ; have regular meals, and do not eat at other times ; 
chew your food properly; it will aid digestion, and do not 
eat too many kinds at once, and you will feel better ; avoid 
alcoholic liquors, strong tea and coffee ; drink little while 
eating ; have regular rest and sleep, retiring in good sea- 
son and rising early, for the first of the morning is the 
glorious part of the day. 

If the lungs, and through them the whole body, are to be 
kept in a sound condition, they must be constantly sup- 
plied with fresh air ; and physical exercise is indispensable 
for the general health. If one needs to walk every day, in 
order to get exercise, do so by all means, and the more the 
better. Do not think to harden the constitution by all 
manner of exposure, as extremes of such nature may result 
in death ; take care of your throat, protect your lungs and 
feet, and keep the bowels open. 

We would advise a liberal use of vegetable food ; it will 
be instrumental in keeping the bowels in proper condition, 
and this must be done, to insure health. It is asserted by 
many careful investigators, that not only are those who 
depend wholly or mainly upon a vegetable diet less liable 
to disease, but that a resort to such food will often have a 
marked effect in curing disease. 

We have not room to enter into details, and give a list 
of the most desirable articles of food, but refer the reader 
to articles on animal and vegetable food, — in this work. 
During meal-time be cheerful, and indulge in mirth freely, 
it being conceded by all authorities, that doing so is an 
advantage to the appetite and digestion ; do not come to 
the table with a long face, as though some solemn duty 
was to be performed, and then eat in silence, as though 
everything depended upon finishing the meal, in the short- 
est possible time. . 



BATHING. 29 

Bathing will be of great benefit to most persons, and 
baths may be taken in either warm or cold water ; for most 
exhilarating effects, commend us to a cool bath, or shower 
when the vitality is good. We say, if the vitality is low and 
the blood easily chilled, take warm baths, sponge or wet the 
body from head to foot night and morning, and rub vigor- 
ously with a towel. It is all done in two minutes, but the 
bracing effects last for hours ; if you take a warm bath, 
avoid all drafts of cold afterwards. (See article on Bathing.) 
Frequent bathing, or sponging the body, is acknowledged 
to be a safeguard against many forms of disease, but the 
time spent in cold bathing should be short. Many physic 
their lives away, but never begin until sickness has seized 
upon them. It is true that all disease should be taken in 
hand when the least indications are to be seen ; but in 
many cases its approach is so slow, and hidden, that it 
becomes seated before it is known to exist ; and if obscure 
and slow in coming, it is slow to yield to treatment. Do 
not crowd your stomach. When a doctor is called to an 
obscure case, he first inquires, "what has been eaten." 
Health is better than fortune — for a person can enjoy 
health without wealth, but not a fortune, without health. 
We hope our readers will prove our maxims, and find last- 
ing benefit. 

BATHING 

Is desirable and refreshing to most persons, especially in 
warm climates, and when people are inclined to corpulency, 
and have a great amount of vitality ; but they should 
bathe or wash and go out after a few minutes' emersion, as 
too long a stay chills the blood, increases the circulation to 
the surface of the body, during the first few moments of 
submersion, but soon closes the millions of capillaries and 
drives the blood back upon the heart and lungs ; and if 
there is a weak organ in the body, the chilled blood settles 



3° . OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

upon it ; if the lungs are weak, a slight cough will be 
noticed ; if the kidneys are weak, the person will be im- 
pelled to urinate often ; if the stomach and bowels are 
weak, the bather will shiver, tremble, and in many instances 
the teeth will chatter. All persons who are thus afflicted 
will, if they act prudently, bathe when the water is 
warm, and they are not heated, and remain in but a 
short time ; and better still for them to sponge them- 
selves all over with warm water, or take a warm bath. 
Too much bathing is injurious to adults, whose blood is 
poor or their vitality low ; children and infants are often 
made feeble and debilitated, by too much daily washing • 
their bodies would be benefited by being rubbed every 
week in equal parts of sweet oil and honey, to close the 
pores, and wash once a week only. 

We have often watched a group of men and boys, plung- 
ing and swimming in fresh and salt water, which was cold 
enough to chill the blood ; it is plain, to a reasoning mind, 
that the blood at 98 degrees, subjected to water at 58 
degrees (a difference of 40 degrees), long continued, must 
prove injurious to the system ; and if continued, seal theii 
death-warrant. 

ANIMAL FOOD. 

Animal food is, as a rule, more readily digested than vege« 
table, but is more productive of heat, tends more towards 
inducing inflammatory diseases of various kinds, and, being 
very stimulating, should form but a small portion of the 
food during the hot weather, and of the diet of those not 
actively engaged. Mutton is the most easily digested of 
all meats, and is much used for invalids ; beef has a de- 
servedly excellent reputation, notably so in England, as a 
constant diet, and in sickness is used for making tea, 
broth, and soup; pork is one of the most difficult meats 
to digest, and may be liberally used only by the robust, and 



VEGETABLE FOOD. 3 I 

those in active out-of-door occupations ; perhaps no meat is 
so much used in this country as pork in its different forms ; 
it is, in many hundred of rural homes, almost the only 
animal food used. Venison or deer meat is easily taken 
care of by the stomach, and is a desirable food ; veal and 
lamb are not so good as beef and mutton, being less nour- 
ishing and more difficult of digestion, because of the 
gelatine they contain. Wild fowls are preferable to the 
domestic ; soft-boiled, better than hard-boiled eggs ; clams 
are harder to digest than oysters, which are most digesti- 
ble when raw ; fresh fish is a desirable food ; lobsters are 
not easily digested, and salt and smoked fish ought not to 
be used, unless the digestive organs are in a most vigorous 
condition. 

VEGETABLE FOOD. 

First in importance on the list comes wheat, or bread, 
the product of wheat ; none will dispute that bread is the 
"staff of life," — by bread we mean wheat, rice, corn, etc., — 
as a certain quantity of it seems to be needed continually. 
In some countries, notably Italy, wheat comes in as the 
great mainstay, but in another form, that of maccaroni. In 
China, we find the great number of the inhabitants depend- 
ing upon rice for their support ; while in Ireland, we see the 
potato, forming the reliance of the majority of the dwellers 
in that island, while a large portion of the people of the 
United States live mostly on corn. Rice is nutritious 
and easily digested ; potatoes in all forms are a most ac- 
ceptable food ; sago, tapioca, and arrow-root all are well 
adapted to invalids. Peas and beans contain a great deal 
of nutriment, but are not easy of digestion, and cause 
flatulence ; turnips, parsnips, carrots, beets, radishes, 
squashes, onions, and the like, are not so nourishing, but 
are of great benefit in regulating the bowels ; fruits, though 
not so full of nutriment, are all good, when eaten in 
moderation. 



3- 



OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



The fact seems to be well established, that the greater 
number of mankind, in the temperate zones of the earth, 
require for their proper development a mixed diet, one 
composed of both animal and vegetable food ; and those 
nations thus supplied, thrive best. In various countries 
the diet must be adapted to the climate ; thus, in Lapland, 
we find the Esquimaux eating enormous quantities of oil, 
fats, and animal food ; the Chinese consuming their rice ; 
the Italians their maccaroni, and tribes in Africa, subsist- 
ing upon fruits and roots. The Esquimaux diet could not 
be endured in China or Egypt ; we cannot eat meats, or 
any food as freely in July, as in January ; we do not need it. 

We give here a short table, showing the amount of 
nutriment, in several varieties of food : — 



Rice 90 parts. 

Beans 89 " 

Wheat 85 " 

Barley 83 " 

White bread .... 80 " 

Rye 80 " 



Meat (on average) . . 35 parts. 

Potatoes 25 " 

Carrots or beets . . 14 " 

Turnips 8 " 

Cabbage / " 

Greens 6 " 



Below we append a table, showing the time required for 
the digestion of different articles of food, as variously pre- 
pared : — 



HOURS. 

Rice, boiled 1 

Apples, raw, sweet . . . 1.30 

" " sour .... 2 

Venison, broiled . . . . 1.30 

Turkey, roast 2.30 

Goose " 2.30 

Chicken, fricassee . . . 2.45 

soup 3 

Sago, boiled 1.45 

Tapioca, barley, or milk . 2 

Beef liver, broiled ... 2 

Codfish, boiled, salt ... 2 

Cabbage, raw, with vinegar 2 

Lamb, broiled 2.30 

Beans, pod, boiled . . . 2.30 

Parsnips 2.30 



HOURS. 

Potatoes, baked .... 2.30 

" boiled .... 3.30 

Custard 2.45 

Oysters, raw 3 

" roast 3.15 

" stew 3.30 

Beef, boiled 2.45 

" roast, or beefsteak . 3 

" broiled 3.15 

" fried 4 

" corned, boiled . . . 4.15 

Eggs, soft boiled .... 3 

" hard boiled, or fried . 3.30 

Pork, raw, salt 3 

" steak, broiled . . . 3.15 

" salt, " . . . 3.15 



FOOD AND DRINK OF MANKIND. 



33 





HOURS. 


Pork, " fried . . 


• • 4-15 


" " boiled . . 


• • 4.30 


" roast .... 


. . 5.15 


Mutton, boiled . . . 


• • 3 


" roast . . . 


• • 3-15 


Poultry, roast . . . 


• • 4 


Corn-bread .... 


• • 3-15 



HOURS. 

Sasuage 3.30 

Carrots 3.15 

White bread 3.30 

Turnips, beets, corn, or. 

beans, boiled .... 3.30 

Veal cutlets 4.30 



From these two tables there can readily be selected, by 
any person, those articles of food which contain the great- 
est amount of nourishment, and also those which are most 
easily digested. 

DRINK OF MANKIND. 

Undoubtedly water may be regarded as the drink of 
man, for not only is it the most satisfactory in allaying 
thirst and refreshing the body, but it is the only drink with 
many persons and of the entire animal creation. The 
supply is drawn from many sources, among which may be 
mentioned lakes, rivers, ponds, springs, wells, rainfalls, 
and melted snow ; but its best condition is that in which it 
is received from springs and wells. Time and money ex- 
pended, in order to secure a permanent supply of good 
drinking-water, is always a safe, sound, permanent invest- 
ment, and a movement that we heartily indorse. And a 
word of caution just here to our readers : In digging or 
locating a well upon your premises, let it be as far removed 
from any possible source of taint to the water, as yon can 
have it ; or if yon have a good well of water, have all cattses 
by which the water could be rendered impure, far from the 
well. Innumerable ailments arise from using impure water. 
It not only creates disease, but carries the seeds or cause 
with it. The drinks used besides water are mainly coffee, 
tea, milk, and chocolate. Coffee is a stimulant, the effects 
of which are most marked ; and while some cannot use it, 
others are very dependant upon it, some are kept awake by 



34 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

it, others made very bilious. In those countries where 
coffee grows, the drink is made by pouring boiling water 
upon the ground berries, no sugar or cream being used, as 
with us ; the effects of coffee when made in this manner, 
are claimed to be entirely different from those of the drink 
commonly used among us. We have been informed, that 
coffee-drinkers in Paris, have added to it a little extract 
of dandelion, which deprived it of the nervine or narcotic 
principle, and they use it three times daily. The balance 
of evidence seems to be against the free use, of strong 
coffee especially, and we advise it only in very moderate 
quantities. 

Tea is more extensively used in this country as a beverage 
than coffee ; there are two kinds, the black and the green, 
and many grades of each ; the leaves are taken from the 
tea-plant of China, the island of Formosa, and adjacent 
country. The black tea is better than the green, which 
has a more marked effect in producing nervousness, and 
a noticeable action upon the brain and heart. There is no 
drink to which its devotees are more given than tea. 
We advise the moderate use of tea and coffee ; to be a 
stimulant to the stomach and beneficial for digestion. 

Chocolate is used extensively, and is usually made too 
rich for delicate stomachs. It is a sleepy, heavy drink, 
that does not bid fair to rival either tea or coffee in 
popularity. 

Milk (the natural food of all young animals, as well as 
the only food for a time), is universally used, and very few 
can be found, who do not like it, or with whom it does not 
agree ; it is easy to digest,- and very nourishing, for which 
reasons we favor its free use ; and we do not mean milk 
largely diluted with water, or clear cream, but a good, rich 
milk. As regards drink, do the same as with food ; if any 
one kind disagrees with you, avoid it. Nor do we recom- 
mend the excessive or large consumption of any kinds of 
drink. 



BOTANICAL MEDICINES. 35 

COMMON SENSE MEDICINES. 

By a careful survey of our globe, we find that man and 
animals require but few articles of food to afford a subsist- 
ence and preserve them in a healthy condition. 

Those animals known as herbivorous feed upon grass, 
herbs, and roots, while another class, called carnivorous, 
live on animal food principally ; but man, who is known as 
omnivorous, eats and thrives best upon a mixed diet of 
animal and vegetable food. 

Reasoning from analogy, if man requires but few kinds 
of food to keep him in health, he needs but few medicines 
(and those of the simplest kind) to restore his system 
when disordered. 

The first thing to do is to regulate the stomach and 
bowels ; the second, to purify the blood, that life-giving 
element ; and the third, to cleanse the liver, that great 
gland which secretes or collects all impurities of the 
body — a strainer for utilizing the bile in the alimentary 
canal. A lesson, in brief, is handed down to the profes- 
sion by this account of a celebrated doctor in England ; 
he left three large books, sealed, to be sold unopened after 
his death. Several joined in their purchase for mutual 
benefit. 

Vol. I contained, " Keep the feet dry and warm" 
Vol. 2 contaijied, " Keep the head cool." 
Vol. 3 contained, "Keep the bowels open" 

The best doctors give a cheerful anecdote, instead of 
medicines. 

BOTANICAL MEDICINES. 

The vegetable kingdom, upon careful examination, is 
found to afford the greatest supply and variety of material, 
which, when properly prepared, serves as a cure and pre- 



36 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

ventive of almost every form of complaint that affects the 
human race. 

The number of druggists at present engaged in the sale 
of that class of medicines called botanical, provide every- 
thing of that nature now required for general use in the 
cities and towns, whether the demand be for them in their 
crude state or for their preparations ; but for the benefit of 
those persons who are located in the country, and at a dis- 
tance from such stores, it may be well to treat the subject 
at some length, and with care, in order that such persons 
may be informed when and how to gather and preserve 
the plants, roots, herbs, flowers, and barks so numerous 
and effective in curing disease. The season for gathering 
botanical medicines must be, according to tlie part of the 
plant used. 

Roots should be dug, washed, and dried in the shade in 
the early spring, before the sap has all passed up into the 
plant or shrub, or late in the autumn, after the leaves have 
dried and the sap and virtue have descended into the root. 

Bark may be stripped early in the spring or late in the 
fall, say the months of May and October in the Northern 
States, but in the Western and Southern, a month earlier 
in spring, or later in autumn. The ross, or rough outer 
part of the bark, should be shaved or scraped off, the inner 
preserved, dried in the shade, then kept where there will 
be no possible chance of its getting wet or damp. 

Plants and herbs should be collected just before blossom- 
ing, and dried in the shade ; in fact, their virtues are not 
much impaired, if gathered at any time before the frost 
kills the plant. 

Flowers and seeds should be selected when fully ripe, 
dried in the shade, wrapped tightly in paper, put in a close 
box and kept from the air ; in this manner they may be 
preserved for years. It will not answer to place several 
kinds of herbs in close contact, or keep them in the same 



MEDICAL PROPERTIES. 7>7 

box, because each will impart a portion of its fragance and 
properties to the others. The mints should be tied in one 
bundle, and the bitter herbs in another. The best and 
the proper way is to keep each kind in a tight box, which 
should be labelled. 

From these roots, herbs, flowers, or seeds may be made 
powders, infusions, extracts, decoctions, or teas. The com- 
mon method and the quickest, is to make a tea or infusion 
by steeping or boiling in water; but the best way, and 
that by which all the strength can be obtained, is to pour 
alcohol upon them, press dry after they have stood awhile, 
leaving the extract, the strength of which can be increased 
by evaporation in the sun, or by artificial heat. When tea 
or an infusion is made, it should be made in the same 
manner as common black or green tea, by pouring boiling 
water upon the herbs and steeping, not boiling them, for 
twenty minutes. 

MEDICAL PROPERTIES. 

Plants are chemical compounds prepared in Nature's 
mysterious laboratory, and although overlooked by some 
and despised by others, who claim learning from books, 
their compositions are more scientific than if prepared by 
the most expert chemist. 

Vegetable medicines usually contain, in natural combina- 
tion, gum, farina, gluten, sugar, oil, balsam, tannin, acid, 
wax, and albumen, many possessing all of them, and all 
possessing several of them. From the properties con- 
tained they are classified under various heads, and accord- 
ing to their medicinal character, as follows : — 

Antispasmodics : medicines which allay spasms or irritation. 
Antacids : " " neutralize acidity of the stomach. 

Anthelmintics : " " expel worms from the intestines. 

Astringents : " " contract the living fibre. 

Cathartics: " " purge, and in large doses are emetic. 



38 



OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



Demulcents : 
Diaphoretics : 

Diuretics : 
Emetics : 

Emmenagogues 
Emollients : 
Epispastics : 
Errhines : 

Escharotics : 
Expectorants : 
Narcotics : 
Rubefacients : 

Refrigerants : 
Sialoooorues : 

o o 

Tonics : 



medicines which prevent the action of poisons. 
" " promote perspiration ; open 

pores. 
" " increase the urinary discharge. 



the 



excite vomiting ; small doses laxa- 
tive. 

promote the menstrual discharge. 

soothe and relax the living fibre. 

blister when applied to the surface. 

increase the discharge from the 
nose. 

are caustic, corrode, or dissolve. 

promote discharge from the lungs. 

induce sleep and diminish pain. 

stimulate, redden, or inflame the 
skin. 

allay heat of the blood or body. 

cause an unusual flow of saliva. 

strengthen by increasing the tone of 
animal fibre. 



The above, and others not so much in use, are seen in 
the following forms : First, plants ; second, roots ; third, 
floivers ; fourth, seeds ; fifth, barks ; sixth, gums ; seventh, 
oils and balsams ; eighth, extracts. 



HOME AND FOREIGN HERBS. 

There are thousands of remedies in our immediate neigh- 
borhood, adapted to the cure of diseases and ailments, 
which are prevalent in the very locality where the said 
herbs grow and flourish. And we trust that the virtues 
of these plants will at an early day be seen, and made 
plain, so that they may be on every side adopted, to the 
exclusion of those imported foreign herbs, of which we 
know literally nothing, which may have been rained upon, 
sun-dried, and again wet and damaged during a voyage to 
this country. We rejoice that so large a number of home 



REMARKS UPON ALLOPATHY. 39 

remedies are being used, and even by the old school of 
allopathists, to the exclusion of bleeding, calomel, opium, 
copper, lead, arsenic, and others of like nature. We will 
only say of them that we leave them as things of the past, 
hoping that their adherents will use more reason and less 
drugs. 

REMARKS UPON ALLOPATHY. 

The question naturally arises, why the author of this 
book, after he had been educated in the school known as 
allopathic, studied medicine, attended lectures in Harvard 
Medical University in 1834, '35, '36; and also in Bowdoin 
Medical College, in Brunswick, Me., in 1836, obtained a 
diploma therefrom, and became a Fellow of the Massa- 
chusetts Medical Society, should relinquish that system of 
practice and adopt another. Our reasons for the change 
may be thus stated : we learned that minerals and drugs 
did not nourish, but set up another disease which checked 
the one then active, destroyed the appetite, prevented 
sleep, and kept the patient sick for thirty or forty days ; 
whereas, rest, gruel, and relaxation of the bowels for a 
few days would have insured restoration. 

We also saw that a system known as botanical or vege- 
table was practised among all nations with safety and suc- 
cess ; and every day's experience served to convince us of 
the value of domestic remedies and treatment. 

Some of the most prominent physicians in Europe and 
America have declared their want of faith in the efficacy 
of allopathic medicines, and have resorted to herbs, roots, 
and domestic remedies, among which, though last, but not 
least, is water, hot or cold, variously tempered with stimu- 
lants, mints, mustard, cayenne, acid, or alkali. 



40 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

MEDICAL PRACTICE AND OPINIONS OF PROM- 
INENT DOCTORS OF THE WORLD. 

The following facts are generally known, and admitted 
by those familiar with medicine and its practice : — . 

i st. Medicines known as allopathic are by nature unlike. 

2d. The quality of a medicine that is manufactured 
varies. 

3d. The effect of a medicine is not the same with differ- 
ent persons. 

4th. The effect of a medicine is different with the same 
person on different occasions. 

5th. Medicines set up new diseases instead of curing 
the one given for. 

6th. Medicines leave the system permanently injured. 

7th. No two doctors use the same medicines for the 
same purposes, and under the same circumstances ; neither 
take nor give them to their families, thus showing clearly 
their want of faith in them. 

Fasting, low diet, and external remedies are cheaper, 
more agreeable, as effective, and operate without injury to 
the system ; in a word, roots, barks, gums, and herbs given 
with prudence are natural remedies, and embrace the 
medicine of common sense. 

It has long been the practice of doctors and apothecaries 
to adopt and use new medicines and remedies, in almost 
the same manner as new fashions are seized upon by milli- 
ners and dressmakers : they have a run, and are then dis- 
carded for the next. The early practitioners, who were 
called the "fathers of the healing art," in cases of wounds 
or injuries inflicted by sharp instruments, dressed the 
instrument with lint, salve, plaster, and bandages, while 
the cut was bound up in the blood to recover. Then calo- 
mel came into use, and all its compounds, no water, inter- 
nal or external, and no sweating ; then bleeding for all 



OPINIONS OF DOCTORS. 41 

complaints ; then blistering, chloroform, stethoscope, 
moxa, or the process of burning spots in the skin along 
the spine or other places, chloral hydrate, electro-magnetic 
treatment, mesmerism, injecting morphia into the blood, 
hot and cold baths, and cod-liver oil (vile fish-oil, that 
requires the addition of whiskey, to enable patients to take 
it). What fever patient could endure first, an emetic ; 
second, bleeding ; third, blistering ; and fourth, frequent 
pills of calomel, opium, ipecac, antimony, colocynth, or 
other drugs ? 

We here give a few of the opinions of celebrated physi- 
cians and writers, regarding the practice of medicine : — 

" Our remedies are unreliable." — Prof. Valentine Mott, 
M.D. 

" Of all sciences medicine is the most uncertain." — Prof. 
Willard Parker, M.D. 

"The science of medicine is founded on conjecture, 
improved by murder." — Sir Astley Cooper, M.D., F.R.S. 

" We are not acquainted with any agents that will cure 
consumption." — Prof. Alonzo Clark, M.D. 

"I have no faith whatever in our medicines." — Dr. 
Bailey. 

In relating a cure of dropsy, Sir Thomas Witherby, 
M.D., said : " Now, no man upon earth, in his senses, would 
have prescribed such a water-course tc cure dropsy, which 
shows how little we know of nature, and the great uncer- 
tainty of art." 

" More infantile subjects are diurnally destroyed by the 
mortar and pestle, than in ancient Bethlehem fell vic- 
tims to the Herodian massacre." — Dr. Reid. 

"Would that medicine were only as wisely established 
as surgery ! When a man has a broken bone, the surgeon 
is content to put it in its place, prescribe rest and a mod- 
erate diet, and leave nature to mend it. But when it is 
the liver or lungs that are disordered, the doctor bleeds, 



42 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

blisters, doses, gives alteratives, cathartics, opiates, and 
does more mischief in a week than nature can remedy in a 
year. I confess I have no patience with the folly of 
patients, or the ignorance, to call it no worse, of physi- 
cians." — Dr. Thomas L. Niclwls. 

" The drugs which are administered for the cure of 
scarlet fever and measles kill more than those diseases 
dor —Prof. B. F. Parker, M.D. 

" As we place more confidence in nature, and less in the 
preparations of the apothecary, mortality diminishes." — 
Prof. Willard Parker, M.D. 

" Let us no longer wonder at the lamentable want of 
success which attends our practice, when there is scarcely 
a sound physiological principle among us." — Magendie, 
M.D., Fra?ice. 

" Medicine seems one of those ill-fated arts, whose im- 
provement bears no proportion to its antiquity." — Sir 
William Kj right on, M.D. 

" As often practised by men of undoubted respectability, 
medicine is made so much a mystery, and is so nearly 
allied to, if not identified with, quackery, that it would 
puzzle many a rational looker-on to tell which is the one, 
and which the other." — Dr. Andrew Combe. 

"The physician mixes, combines, and jumbles together 
vegetable, mineral, ^and animal substances, and adminis- 
ters them, right or wrong, without considering for a 
moment the cause of the disease, and without a single clear 
idea as to his conduct." — Magendie, M.D., France. 

" No better evidence of the ignorance of the profession 
generally, as to the nature and seat of any disease, than 
the number and variety of remedies that have been confi- 
dently recommended for its cure." — Dr. Mackintosh, 
Edinburgh. 

" In all our cases we did as other practitioners did, — we 
continued to bleed, and the patients continued to die." — 
Dr. Maddon. 



OPINIONS OF DOCTORS. 43 

" Cod-liver oil has no curative power in tubercular con- 
sumption." — Prof. Horace Green, M.D. 

" Medicine is so far from being a science, that it is only 
conj ecture. ' ' — Dr. Evans. 

" The administration of our powerful medicines, is the 
most fruitful source of deranged digestion." — Prof. E. R. 
Pcaslee, M.D. 

" Men who are really sick die, and we cannot save 
them." — Prof Frederick R. Marvin, M.D. 

" Of the essence of disease very little is known." — Prof 
S. H. Goss, M.D. 

" Mercury has made more cripples than all wars com- 
bined." — Dr. McClintock. 

" So gross is our ignorance of the physiological charac- 
ter of disease, that it would be better to do nothing." — 
Magendie, France. 

"There has been a great increase of medical men of 
late years, but, upon my life, diseases have increased in 
proportion." — Dr. Abernethy. 

" We have done but little more than multiply diseases, 
and increase their fatality." — Dr. Benjamin Rush. 

" The science of medicine is a barbarous jargon, and the 
effects of our medicines on the human system, are in the 
highest degree uncertain, except that they have already 
destroyed more lives than war, pestilence, and famine com- 
bined."—/^;/ Mason Good, M.D., F.R.S. 

"Opium increases the nerve force." — Prof B. F. Par- 
ker, M.D. 

"Opium diminishes the nerve force." — Prof E. H. 
Davis, M.D. 

" We do not know whether our patients recover because 
we give medicine, or because Nature cures them." — Prof 
/ W. Carson, M.D. 

"The action ©f remedies is a subject entirely beyond 
our control." — Prof John B. Beck, M.D. 



44 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

" Of the essence of disease very little is known : indeed, 
nothing at all." — Prof. S. D. Gross, M.D. 

" I visited the different schools of medicine, and the 
students of each hinted, if they did not assert, that the 
other sects killed their patients." — Prof. Billings, M.D., 
of London. 

" Thousands are annually slaughtered in the quiet sick- 
room." — Prof. Frank, M.D., London. 

" It is my firm belief, that if the medical profession, with 
its prevailing mode of practice, were absolutely abolished, 
mankind would be infinitely the gainer." — Francis Cogs- 
well, M.D., Boston. 

" I declare as my conscientious conviction, founded on 
long experience and reflection, that, if there was not a sin- 
gle physician, surgeon, man-midwife, chemist, apothecary, 
druggist, nor drug on the face of the earth, there would 
be less sickness, and less mortality than now prevails." — 
Jas. Johnson, M.D., F.R.S., Editor of the Medico-Chirur- 
gical Review. 

The extraordinary efforts now being made by the old 
school of practitioners, to hedge themselves under the pro- 
tection of special legislation, calls for a fortified antagonism, 
which justifies the liberal use of means, so abundantly pro- 
vided by everyday's experience in common-sense practice, 
with Dame Nature's botanical remedies. 

Who calls for legislative protection ? Amid all the cry 
through the United States in the past, not a voice from 
man or woman has been heard asking for legislative pro- 
tection, neither eclectics, homcepathists, hygienists, or 
water-cure physicians : from the allopathists, only, has the 
wail, "for the protection of the dear people," been heard. 
The people virtually proclaim that whoever is best, in 
medicine, theology, law, and mechanics, we will employ 
and pay. Who will deny us our rights ? " 

Dr. Dewees, a celebrated American writer and practi- 



OPINIONS OF DOCTORS. 45 

tioner, late in life expressed his increasing want of confi- 
dence in medical practice. 

The late Dr. John Ware, Professor of Theory and Prac- 
tice of Medicine in Harvard University, gravely announced 
to the medical class, that their main business in the prac- 
tice would be to keep people from taking medicines, or 
making apothecary-shops of their stomachs. 

The late Dr. Bigelow, Professor of Materia Medica in 
Harvard Medical University, read a paper before the Massa- 
chusetts Medical Society, and subsequently published it in 
book-form, about the year 1835, in which we read with 
surprise at the time, in substance, the following : " If there 
was not a doctor upon the globe, many thousands or multi- 
tudes would be walking and working upon, who are now 
quietly resting beneath, its surface." 

And again : " If I were sick, I would rather have an 
old woman, and for want of her, a young woman, if she 
were good-looking, than all the doctors in Boston." 

Notwithstanding the above, he enjoyed an extensive 
practice in Boston for sixty years or more, and for a time 
was President of the Massachusetts Medical Society. 

After fifty years' experience, reading, and reflection, we 
fully indorse the foregoing statements, and where doctors 
are unknown, sickness and death among the young sel- 
dom happens. We also fully believe in the efficacy and 
specific effects, of Dame Nature's botanical remedies ; and 
who that possesses and withholds them from the suffering 
children of humanity, is not a friend to his race. 

M. R. Fletcher, M.D. 

PUBERTY 

Is the period of development or the change from youth to 
manhood in males, and from girlhood to womanhood in 
females. The exact age of puberty varies in different 
countries, according; to race and climate. Phvsicians have 



4-6 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

collected a great number of statistics, from which we 
arrive at the conclusion that, in a large portion of the 
temperate zone, the average age of puberty is fourteen or 
fifteen years. If it appears more than six months earlier 
or later it is an exceptional case, or something is wrong. 
In hot climates both men and vegetables arrive at matur- 
ity earlier than in temperate or cold ; marriages are not 
unusual at twelve or fourteen years of age ; both sexes 
arrive at puberty at the age of ten or twelve years. We read 
that one of Mohammed's wives bore him a son at the age 
of ten years. The case is very different in the cold and 
barren regions of the North. 

In Lapland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and Siberia that 
period comes on at the age of eighteen or nineteen years, 
and they retain to a later period in life their vigor and 
youthful appearance. 

Here we must enter a warning to parents and teachers 
of youth. At this critical period of their lives, see that 
you understand, appreciate, and observe the duties devolv- 
ing upon you, and let no notions of false delicacy deter you 
from duties, the neglect of which, may entail upon the 
young lasting evils. Females of certain races and families 
mature earlier than their neighbors. Jewesses are two 
years earlier than the European and American races : so 
are the African and the Creole ; and careful observation 
has shown, that brunettes develop earlier than blondes, 
and that short, dark-haired, and black-eyed females are 
more precocious in this development, than blue-eyed, light- 
haired, tall girls. 

Mothers should take special pains, on suitable occasions, 
to instruct their daughters, and all young females under 
their care, that such a change takes place in the ordinary 
course of nature, for wise and beneficent purposes ; know- 
ing well, that if allowed to remain in ignorance, and the 
event is revealed to them as a mystery, they may be 



MENSTRUATION. 47 

alarmed, bathe in cold water, sit in a cold bath, wade in 
brooks or ponds, by which means they are liable to bring 
on serious consequences for life, often premature death. 
Fathers and teachers of young men, should take suitable 
occasions to warn them against the evil practices common 
among youths, and portray the evil consequences, which 
are physical and mental debility, often terminating in im- 
becility or insanity, — far worse than an early or untimely 
death. 

MENSTRUATION. 

When girls arrive at the age of puberty, which in the 
great majority of cases is when about fifteen years old, 
there commences the process of menstruation, which is the 
result of that great change in the system from girlhood 
to womanhood, preparatory to conception and gestation. 
This consists of a discharge, of a bloody nature, from the 
womb, occurring every month, and continuing regularly 
(until that period commonly called the turn of life), except 
during such time as it may be interrupted by child-bearing 
or sickness. These discharges, seem to be the means used 
by nature for disposing of that portion of the blood which 
tends towards the womb for the purpose of procreation or 
generation. And at the time of its beginning with a 
young girl, she should have the counsel of her mother, or an 
experienced female, for her guidance in the care of her 
health, because, owing to their ignorance in this matter, 
many have been permanently injured. 

The average duration of this discharge is three or four 
days, but this varies with different females, and even with 
the same women on different occasions ; delicate females 
generally lose more by these discharges than their more 
robust and healthy sisters, who could better endure it. 
When once commenced, these discharges should occur at 
regular intervals ; the quantity that comes away should be 



4<5 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

the same or nearly so on each occasion, and the more 
healthy the physical condition of the female, the less dis- 
turbance there is created at the time. There are but few 
who are not affected by painful, copious, or retarded men- 
struation, for the treatment of which, they can refer to that 
portion of this work, devoted respectively to those com- 
plaints. When a young female notices a change in her 
condition at such times, such as irregularity or pain, she 
should at once see that the difficulty is corrected, and not 
allow it any possible chance of becoming established. As 
this discharge is thrown out by a perfectly healthy female, 
with very slight disturbance and without pain, it may be 
stated, as a rule, that the inconvenience attending these 
periods will be decreased in proportion as the health is 
good. 

Quiet at this time is of the utmost importance, and if 
the woman would avoid needless suffering, let her beware 
that no cold is taken : let her not strain herself in any way 
nor get very fatigued, nor allow herself to be under the 
influence of great excitement. We learn that the females 
among the Indians, at the time of this act of nature, retire 
alone to some place, and there remain in perfect quiet, 
until the termination of their temporary illness ; and we 
also learn that ailments, affecting the female organs of gen- 
eration, are almost entirely unknown among them. 

Therefore we repeat to those in charge of young girls, 
that they cannot be too careful, to have them understand 
fully those natural periodicals, and how to care for them- 
selves : for this is with them the turning-point, and knowl- 
edge means health, happiness, and comfort, while ignorance 
of such matters, and the laws of general health, means misery 
and endless suffering. 



THE WOMB. 49 



THE WOMB. 



If we consider this organ, according to its varied func- 
tions in the animal economy, we must regard it as the 
most important in the female body. In form it is like a 
flattened pear, the base being uppermost, and being in its 
normal state between three and four inches in length, two 
and a half inches in breadth, and weighing at the period 
of puberty, on an average, three and a half ounces, but 
during the last month of pregnancy, weighing from three 
to four pounds. 

The womb is partly a membranous, and partly a mus- 
cular bag. It performs three distinct functions or offices : 
those of menstruation, gestation, and parturition, or expul- 
sion of the water, the child, and after-birth. About the 
middle of the fourth month, after conception, the mother 
experiences that peculiar sensation known as quickening ; 
after which, the motion of the child is distinctly and fre- 
quently felt. 

The womb is supplied with blood-vessels, glands, lym- 
phatics in great abundance, and a network of nerves ; in 
fact, the uterus is supplied more extensively with blood- 
vessels and nerves than any other organ of the body. 
These blood-vessels in the normal state are extremely 
small, but where impregnation takes place, they become 
large and distended, the womb increases in size and weight, 
until within a few days of labor. 

MIDWIFERY. 

This is a business that elderly women in every country 
usually regard themselves well informed about, and com- 
petent, not only to advise in, but to practice ; and when 
it is considered that therein women are primarily con- 
cerned, this conclusion on their part is a very natural one, 
and should by all means be encouraged. 



50 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



PREGNANCY. 



The chief signs or symptoms of pregnancy are : First, 
The cessation of the monthly illness, so called, although 
this is not an infallible sign, for sometimes it will cease 
from other causes, and sometimes it will continue after 
conception has taken place. Second, The morning- sick- 
ness, which commences about the fourth or fifth week 
after conception has taken place, and continues until about 
the fourth month ; with some women this sickness is but 
slight ; the feeling is one of nausea, with a disposition to 
vomit, and it is better that there should be vomiting ; or it 
may exist as a feeling of languor, with no desire to do any 
kind of work, but to sit and brood over things. This sick- 
ness causes loss of appetite, and while it is not an unerring 
sign of pregnancy, it is a very strong indication. TJiird, 
Enlargement of the breasts, which generally increase in 
size and firmness, about two months after conception ; 
they also become tender to the touch, throb and feel 
heated, and when pressed by the hand, seem hard and 
knotty. This condition is caused by the swelling of the 
milk-secreting glands ; the nipples also enlarge, and be- 
come prominent, while the areola (or part of the breast 
immediately around the nipple) assumes a purplish tinge, 
and presents upon its surface several very small whitish 
pimples or a blistered appearance. Fourth, In the fourth 
month the womb, on account of its enlargement, is cramped 
in the pelvis, rises into the abdominal cavity, and forces 
the bowels upward. This enlargement of the womb, and 
change of position in the fourth month, are very perceptible. 
It can now be felt as a firm, round body, and this is an al- 
most unmistakable sign of pregnaney. Fifth, A tendency 
to flatulency or wind in the stomach, especially towards 
evening, rendering unbearable a corset pressure, that was 



PREGNANCY. 5 1 

comfortable in the morning. Sixth, Quickening, so called, 
which occurs about the middle of the fourth or early part 
of the fifth month, and which is the mother's first " assured 
recognition of the second life within her." At first there 
is a slight, tremulous motion like a strong pulsation, and 
this, day by day, grows stronger, until it becomes quite 
distinct, often painfully so, and is* as though the child 
leaped in the womb. This movement can be felt by plac- 
ing the hand upon a pregnant woman's abdomen, espe- 
cially after the middle of the fifth month. In some instances 
the mother knows the moment of quickening. There 
are other signs that may also be present and be noticed. 
The mouth and eyes seem to enlarge, and the nose appears 
to become pinched, or has a look of being pointed ; the 
eyes, if blue, become paler. In some cases, after the fourth 
month, the woman becomes unnaturally peevish and fret- 
ful, while in other cases she will be wonderfully bright, 
cheerful, and happy. After the fifth month, she has " long- 
ings," as they are termed, — cravings for things not easily 
obtained, as, for instance, very uncommon articles of food, 
and these, if possible, should be procured for her. 

She requires during the time of pregnancy gentle words 
and affectionate care, and any harsh or unkind treatment 
would be not only inhuman, but have a positively injurious 
effect upon both her and her offspring. Nothing should 
be left undone by the friends and relatives, but more par- 
ticularly by her husband, whose image and conduct are 
impressed upon the child, to be developed in after-life. 

Pregnancy, or the period of child nurture in the mother's 
womb, continues from the hour of conception to that of 
delivery, forty weeks, or two hundred and eighty days ; 
although some writers upon the subject fix the time as 
forty-two weeks. It is commonly set at nine months, or a 
few days less than two hundred and eighty, but nine calen- 
dar months and one week, is the exact time that should be 



52 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

estimated, or from the given day of any month to the same 
day of the fortieth week thereafter. It is best to calculate 
from midway between the last occurrence of menstruation 
and the one which would have followed, if conception had 
not taken place, and allow nine calendar months from that 
time. Thus, if the last sickness had occurred about the 
first of January, and continued one week, labor or child- 
birth might be expected by the middle of October,, al- 
though women who have had a number of children may 
overrun the time a week or so. Our experience is forty- 
two weeks from the day of conception. 

CONDUCT DURING PREGNANCY. 

During this period quiet and regularity of life are indis- 
pensable ; proper and nourishing food should be moder- 
ately indulged in ; every kind of excitement and all ex- 
tremes of weather, all scenes of distress, fires, exhibitions 
of deformities, and any and all diseases of a contagious 
nature should be avoided. All exercises of a violent char- 
acter, such as dancing, running, jumping, or horseback 
riding should not be attempted. Frightful and disgusting 
objects should be shunned, as they are liable to work on 
the mind of the mother, and result in deformity of her 
child. She should not assume awkward and unnatural 
positions, as, by some sympathetic influence, these may be 
imparted to the child. That the mind has, in this connec- 
tion, an influence on the babe, that it is greatly affected 
by the surroundings to which the mother is at this time 
subjected, is a fact that has long been established and 
conceded. We read that Jacob of old, in recognition of 
this law, had striped poles placed where they might be 
seen continually by the cattle, that he might thereby in- 
crease the number of speckled calves ; and the Greeks, 
from a belief in the same effect, had their rooms and sur- 
roundings adorned with painting, sculpture, and most beau- 
tiful objects they could obtain. 



CONDUCT DURING PREGNANCY. 53 

Cases might be named where the results, after following 
this plan, have been highly gratifying. Therefore, we say, 
let the surroundings during this important period, be made 
as pleasing as the circumstances will allow. Let pictures 
and statuary be studied ; let moderation be the rule of 
woman's life while in this state. It is a mistake for her to 
believe that she is required to eat for two ; eat no more 
than the stomach craves ; to overload it is bad in any case y 
and sure to increase the sickness, referred to as occurring 
during the first three months of pregnancy. 

The treatment for morning sickness is to take a seidlitz 
powder, or any other form of effervescing drink, lemon 
juice or cream of tartar, in a little water every two hours, 
until the nausea ceases. Small lumps of ice, also, afford 
relief when swallowed. As it is advisable to remain in a 
reclining position for some time after eating, let breakfast 
be taken before arising, if the household work can be 
arranged with this object in view. 

As the womb enlarges in the fourth month, it rises, as 
we have stated, into the abdomen. Here it naturally 
presses, upon and crowds the digestive organs, causing re- 
tention of the urine and' costiveness. This should be 
relieved by gentle purgative medicines, such as small 
doses of castor-oil, and every desire for an operation of the 
bowels should be immediately attended to, and in no case 
put of, or it may be followed by a pain in the head, if not 
more serious and distressing afflictions. The increasing 
pressure of the womb upon the organs of digestion impedes 
the circulation, and in some cases may cause convulsions. 
Should these be frequent and attended with giddiness and 
confusion of mind, if the woman is robust and fleshy, some 
blood-letting will be necessary, or dieting, with the use of 
laxatives to reduce the system. But under these circum- 
stances only, is bleeding to be recommended. 

For the constipation, which is almost always present 



54 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

during the latter months of pregnancy, no violent purga- 
tives should be taken ; but moderate doses of castor-oil, 
perhaps every other day, or enough to keep the bowels in 
a good condition ; or take carbonate of magnesia, cream of 
tartar with molasses ; or put a small piece of rhubarb into 
the mouth, and swallow the saliva that comes, while it is 
kept there and bruised or chewed very slowly. Should 
piles be present, as is sometimes the case, treat them as 
directed in the part of this work devoted to that complaint. 
Support of the abdomen is at this time, especially to women 
who are physically weak, a means of affording great relief. 
This may be effected by swathing with a cloth or bandage. 

In the ninth month the nipples, if sore and enlarged, 
should be bathed daily with an astringent and cooling 
lotion, such as an infusion of oak bark, borax water, alum 
water, or a solution of tannin, or with strong tea ; but in 
all cases these must be applied cold. The object of this 
is to harden and render them firm enough to endure the 
child's nursing. Should a flow of milk occur before child- 
birth, some friend should draw the breasts in the natural 
manner. 

The greatest pains should be taken to prevent sore nip- 
ples, for they cause sore breasts, which are the cause of 
great anguish ; they make the mother sick, and be assured 
that if the mother is sick, the child will not be well. But 
more important than all medicine, is the necessity that the 
mother should have a cheerful mind, and nothing be 
allowed to happen that will worry or distress her. 

LABOR — CHILDBIRTH. 

Every prudent female, who has the power to do so, will 
during her pregnancy make all necessary preparations for 
her approaching confinement. By certain unmistakable 
signs, she will be aware that she is about to become a 
mother, and if for the first time, a world of cares and anx- 



LABOR AND CHILDBIRTH. 55 

iety will open up before her. Through much suffering she 
yet has to pass before she can clasp her child in her arms, 
and even then its life hangs by so slight a thread, that very 
little mismanagement may snap it. 

If possible, the woman should have the company of her 
mother, or some near and dear female friend of experience, 
for some time before, as well as at this important time. 
On the approach of confinement, the expediency of keeping 
the bowels in good condition should not be overlooked, 
and this can be done by injections of castile soap and 
warm water, or of thin gruel. Should there be difficulty in 
passing the urine, such diuretics should be used as teas 
made from the flaxseed or slippery elm, or gum-arabic 
water, chickweed tea, pennyroyal, or catnip tea, which 
latter is in most cases at hand, and all excellent remedies. 

And now everything should be got in readiness for the 
approaching event. See to it that the breasts are in proper 
condition, and free from soreness ; provide a piece of 
water-proof cloth, three and one-half or four feet square ; 
for use on the bed, short gowns and bandages for the 
mother, and binders and clothing for the child, and all 
these should be placed where they will be at hand, and can 
be found at a moment's warning. As, in almost all cases, 
there is, or should be, a physician or nurse of experience 
to take charge of the patient, and see that everything is 
attended to, it seems needless to give any more explicit 
or detailed instructions than those which follow : — 

Childbirth will be preceded by the usual warning symp- 
toms. As every nurse, midwife, or woman of experience 
knows, there are intermitting pains in the back and loins, 
slight at first but increasing in severity. When the mem- 
brane (containing the liquid in the womb, in which the 
child has for many weeks floated) is ruptured by pressure, 
or the finger of the nurse or physician, this liquid comes 
away, and if the pains are frequent, a pillow should be 



56 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

rolled up tightly and placed between the woman's knees : 
let her lie with her back to the front of the bed to accom- 
modate the midwife, the front being that side to the left 
when standing at the foot and facing the head : have a 
shawl or long towel tied to the foot of the bed, the free end 
being within her reach, so that when the pains are upon 
her she may pull on it, and thus aid herself in this trying- 
hour — using this towel serves a double purpose ; when 
pulling on it, the woman holds her breath and stops talk- 
ing ; in doing this, she brings into use the abdominal mus- 
cles, which aids greatly in expelling the child. 

If there is no unnatural obstruction to the delivery, it is 
best left to nature ; should the labor be prolonged several 
hours, as is sometimes the case with the first child, a little 
stimulant may be given, at intervals, such as wine or 
spirit and water, and given warm. 

It is positively asserted, on the best authority, that the 
pains and sufferings of childbirth, can be almost wholly 
done away with, by the judicious use of chloroform and 
ether ; one part of the former and three parts of the latter. 
Recently this agent has been used for this purpose, with 
the most gratifying results. However, it should be admin- 
istered with much caution, and only by a physician, mid- 
wife, or nurse, who will not allow the woman to breathe it 
long enough to become unconscious. For the informa- 
tion of those not familiar with giving ether or chloroform, 
we will give a few directions. Ether alone relieves pain, 
but is slower in its operation than chloroform ; to use it 
with advantage, it should be poured in teaspoon-doses, 
upon a sponge or handkerchief, or napkin, and put in the 
large end of a paper tunnel, and drawing the air through 
the small end ; in this way the ether is more perfectly 
inhaled, and not so much diffused through the room : when 
the pain subsides discontinue the inhaling. The napkin 
or sponge should not touch the lips. 



MIDWIFERY. 57 

A physician or midwife will know what to give to hasten 
labor, when unusually protracted, but no other persons 
should attempt practice of this kind. If there be actual 
danger of the patient's life from lack of assistance, then, 
and in that case only, is the nurse justified in the use of 
powerful medicines, or in attempting to aid the operation 
of delivery by unusual means, such as tea of spurred rye, 
pennyroyal, or catnip : give toddy as well ; spurred rye 
should not be given in the early stages of labor, but only 
when the pains have ceased. The most dangerous Sow- 
ings occur when the after-birth is over the mouth of the 
womb, at the time labor begins, and the womb begins to 
open. In such case the after-birth must be partially separ- 
ated, and, if the flowing is so profuse as to endanger life, 
the child must be turned in the womb. To do this the 
attendant, after first lubricating his or her hand thoroughly 
with fresh lard or olive oil, should pass it into the womb 
and seize the child, holding firmly ; when the pain ceases 
press the child backward in the womb, and bring the head 
forward for delivery. In all cases of profuse flowing, keep 
the patient perfectly quiet and lying down; apply to the 
abdomen cloths wet with alcohol and water that have 
been mixed half and half, and then heated ; and let cold 
sage tea be given frequently as an internal medicine. 
Give gruel very cool and cold weak tea to keep up the 
patient's strength. 

As soon as the child is born, the cord or navel string 
should be attended to. Pulsation is full and strong in this 
cord immediately after delivery, but it gradually weakens, 
so that in five or ten minutes it may be cut ; and the safest 
way to do this, is to tie it in two places (with cotton twine), 
the first of these tyings to be made at a distance of two or 
three inches from the child's body, and the second an inch 
or an inch and one-half from that : then taking the cord in 
the left hand, cut between the two points where it has been 



58 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

tied. Tying twice checks a flow of blood from the child, as 
well as from the after-birth, which might follow the cutting 
if the pulsation had not ceased. 

Flooding or hemorrhage rarely happens before birth ; 
but when it does, it should receive prompt attention. 

If the mother has sunk under the action of delivery, and 
her strength is exhausted, a little stimulant of some such 
nature as wine, brandy, or gin may be given, and she 
should be allowed to rest. Upon the return of the pains 
for expelling the after-birth, if no physician be on hand, 
the attendant will see that it comes away : should this not 
take place within two hours, it should be removed. The 
after-birth being out of the way, a broad and stout bandage 
or long towel should be passed around the loins of the 
mother, so as to cover the hips and support the form, 
drawn tight and secured with pins, this being the most 
desirable form of fastening. Hot alcohol and water applied 
over the womb will assist its contracting. The object of 
the bandage is to exert a pressure upon the womb, stop 
the flowing, and stimulate the organs to return to their 
natural condition. But if the flowing continues and the 
womb does not contract, a compress formed of a good- 
sized book wrapped in cloth should be laid on the abdo- 
men directly over the womb, and bound there with the 
bandage, as tightly as the patient can bear. After this a 
warm, dry napkin should be placed over and below the 
external parts, so that the amount of flowing (which may 
continue for some time, even three or four hours) may be 
known. The bandage should be tightened as it becomes 
loose. 

We may here state, that at the Government Hospital at 
Vienna, at which institution alone there are annually ten 
thousand births, and in the principal cities of Europe, the 
bandage is not applied immediately after the operation of 
childbirth ; not until the mother is about to leave her bed • 



MIDWIFERY. 59 



and in all cases of flooding or convulsions arising from or 
preceding childbirth, instead of employing cold applica- 
tions, as is done in this country, hot ones exclusively are 
used. 

For at least six hours after the expulsion of the after- 
birth the patient should be disturbed as little as possible ; 
if the pulse be feeble, lips colorless, and breathing hardly 
noticeable, as though life seemed ebbing away, administer a 
very little wine, or brandy, and warm water sweetened ; 
cease at once, doing this, if you notice her flushing and 
restless, and do not give it at all unless from the presence 
of the above symptoms there seems urgent need of it. 

If the patient be strong and vigorous, her clothing can 
be changed and the bed made after eight or ten hours ; 
but if she is not, some three or four days may have to pass, 
before this can be done ; at the end of a week or ten days, 
if the mother is anxious to rise and leave her bed, she may 
do so, but upon the least feeling of giddiness, she should 
give up the attempt, and not make the trial until her 
strength has fully returned. 

Some extraordinary cases of activity and recovery of 
strength on the mother's part have come to our knowledge. 
We knew a woman of very robust constitution, who, after 
giving birth to a child early in the morning, almost imme- 
diately arose and prepared dinner for her husband, who 
was a laboring man ; seeing the priest passing soon after, 
she called him in, and had the child christened, got a lunch 
for him, and afterwards supper for her husband ; all of 
which very unusual proceedings were followed by no bad 
effect Another woman, a tenant of ours in New Bruns- 
wick, who was confined in the forenoon, arose from her 
bed after a few hours, went to the spring, twenty or thirty 
rods distant, for a pail of water, and made a pot of oatmeal 
gruel, saying as she did so, " Tom (her husband) may make 
his own, or go wanting ; may be I'll want the whole of 



60 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

this, and may be I wont." Both of these women were ac- 
customed to working in the fields with their husbands, and, 
as a rule, it may be said, that the lower the order of life, 
the greater the ease and less pain there is attending child- 
birth. 

In ordinary cases, when the mother is able to sit up, the 
bed-clothing may be changed. If the after-pains continue, 
there should be given an anodyne draught, composed of 
mint or caraway tea. As regards the time of applying the 
child to the breast, the various authorities differ greatly; 
some claiming that this should not take place for twenty- 
four or thirty-six hours, while others advise its being done 
as soon as possible. Dr. Marshall Hall, an English writer, 
says, " Let the child suck as soon as the fatigue of labor is 
perfectly over, if the mother is doing well." Our experi- 
ence is, that the child should be put to the breast at the earli- 
est moment, within the first hour or two after its biith, and 
for this iv e believe there are many forcible reasons. This 
course will very often prevent flooding, will almost wholly 
if not completely prevent milk fever, and the sooner the 
child nurses the better it will be for both it and the mother, 
as in case of long delay, it may not readily take to the 
breasts. There is, also, in the first milk, a laxative prop- 
erty which the child should have as physic. 

In cases where the nipples, through lack of treatment, 
have not been made to project as they should do, a healthy 
child, eight or ten months of age, should nurse the mother 
until the breasts are brought into the proper condition; 
An excellent salve for all soreness of the nipples or breasts 
may be made, by mixing five grains of tannin, or powdered 
alum, or a spoonful-strong decoction of white-oak bark, 
with a half cup of fresh cream or lard. When this salve 
has been used, it must be washed off before the child nurses 
again. 

If the child is affected with canker in the mouth, make 



MIDWIFERY. 6 1 

a decoction of gold-thread in half a cup of hot water, dis- 
solve a piece of borax as large as a pea in it, and sweeten 
with sugar or honey. Wash the mouth with this frequently 
until the trouble is removed. 

The mother's diet for the first few days after confine- 
ment should be of such nature as can be taken with a 
spoon, as oatmeal gruel, or other gruel as she may choose. 
A woman, naturally robust, should confine herself to nour- 
ishment of this sort, for a longer time than one who is 
delicate or feeble. For such, beef-tea, mutton-broth, ale, 
or wine, can be prescribed as early as the third day ; and 
after the first week she may return to her usual manner 
of living, if her appetite is good. The object of eating 
lightly at first, is to prevent the two rapid secretion of 
milk, and any results which such act might bring about. 
There is, however, nothing more acceptable and nourishing 
to the feeble mother than beef-tea, properly made. The 
following is an excellent way of preparing it : Take the 
beef, which should be lean, cut into small pieces and put 
into cold water, and in an earthen bowl, allow it to stand 
for two hours ; then place the bowl and contents in a dish 
of hot water, and boil this latter until the tea in the bowl, 
becomes boiling hot, having seasoned it before it reaches 
this point. Then skim out the pieces of meat, and when 
cool enough, the tea can be used with the most gratifying 
results. This tea will afford as much nourishment as the 
meat from which it was made, if cooked and eaten in any 
other manner. No cathartics or purgative medicines 
should be administered, until the mother is able to leave 
her bed ; if there is costiveness, injections of thin gruel or 
rice water can be oven. 



OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



TREATMENT OF THE CHILD. 

As soon as the child has been released from the mother 
by the cutting of the cord, the nurse may rub it all over 
with warm lard ; this must be thoroughly wiped off with 
dry cloths, after which the hands and face should be 
washed with soap and water, care being taken not to 
allow any soap to get into the eyes, as that will make 
them sore. The navel cord can now be done up in muslin 
well oiled ; a hole cut in it, and the cord put through it ; 
after which the binder should be put on. This consists of 
a piece of flannel five or six inches wide, or wide enough 
to cover from the arm-pits to the lower part of the abdo- 
men, and long enough to go one and a' half times around 
the body. The babe may now be dressed by the nurse, in 
the clothes it is to wear. 

It is a common practice for nurses to give infants when 
dressed a little thin oatmeal gruel, with a drop or two of 
castor-oil in it. While this serves as food, it also excites a 
gentle action of the bowels, and has the effect of relieving 
them of a thick and dark matter which they contain at 
birth. At the end of an hour or two, if no milk can be ob- 
tained from the mother, or if the child will not take to the 
breast, milk must be prepared to use, and this is to be 
made by mixing cow's milk and boiled water, one-half as 
much water as milk, then sweeten a little with white sugar, 
stand it in a dish of boiling water until it is blood warm, 
when it can be given to the child in a feeding-bottle. The 
mother's milk during the first few days possesses laxative 
properties — so that the child needs no other laxative or 
oil. For a time milk alone should be the food of infants, as 
it contains everything necessary for the proper sustenance 
of the child. When cow's milk is used, it is best to procure 
that from the same cow for continual use, and there should 



MIDWIFERY. 63 

never be the slightest sourness or taint about it. After 
nursing, it is natural for the child to drop asleep, and this 
should be allowed. 

If the child's bowels are not well purged for three or 
four days after birth, by the castor-oil mentioned, or some 
other preparation, it will have a sore mouth, and this will 
be communicated to the mother's nipples, and give her sore 
breasts. 

The child's first sleep may continue for many hours, and 
upon awakening it will want to nurse, which may be 
allowed if the mother's strength is sufficiently restored 
and her nipples in proper condition. Should the mother 
be unable to afford her child sufficient nourishment, the 
nurse can fill a bottle with the prepared milk and water 
already described, and feed enough of that to make up the 
deficiency. This is better than employing a wet-nurse. 
Nursing once in two and a half or three hours is often 
enough, as a child is not always hungry when it cries, but 
may be troubled with pain, zvJiich too much nursing would 
only increase. It may safely be said that a very large por- 
tion of the sickness and deaths of infants, is caused by 
over-feeding or over-dosing. 

In going to sleep the mother, if in the same bed, should 
place the child near her, and go to sleep upon her side 
facing the child. It will readily be seen, that should she 
turn in her sleep, she would naturally turn from rather 
tJian towards the babe. From lack of this precaution, many 
an infant has been smothered by the mother while in a 
heavy sleep, unconscious of the dreadful accident. 

After washing the child, it is a good plan to rub it well 
with the hand, as the friction thus given will be beneficial 
to the circulation ; also let it lie in the nurse's lap or on 
the bed, and work or use its little limbs. 

The navel cord must not be forgotten, but seen to each 
time the child is washed, until it drops off, which will 



64 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

likely occur in four or six days, leaving a wrinkled or 
puckered appearance of the skin, but healthy. If there 
should be a small sore or ulceration remaining in its place, 
this should be washed with castile soap and warm water, 
then bathed with alum water or strong black tea, and 
dressed with mutton tallow or some healing salve. In case 
of bleeding of the navel, which is a bad sign, a doctor 
should at once be called in. 

In warm weather the child may be taken out when two 
or three weeks old ; but in winter it is not advisable to do 
so until five or six weeks of age, and in any case for 
a very short time only and in the finest zveather. The 
sun should not be allowed to shine in its face, nor should 
it be permitted to sleep in the open air. To this it should 
be accustomed gradually ; morning and evening chills 
avoided ; and it is much better for the nurse to take the 
child out in her arms than in a carriage. 

In warm weather, if the child is of feeble constitution, 
whether an infant, or two or three years old, it should not 
be washed every morning or evening, for the pores of the 
skm are too open without the washing, and we have 
found it beneficial in many cases, for the mother or nurse 
to rub together a little sweet oil and castile soap, and with 
a sponge bathe or rub the child all over, and leave it un- 
washed to close the pores of the skin ; then wear its flannel 
dress a week. It may seem untidy, but will invigorate the 
child. Many children are washed and dosed to death. 

PREMATURE BIRTH. 

Premature births ; or those taking place in the eighth or 
ninth month, are sometimes necessitated by certain con- 
ditions of the mother. Principal among these conditions is 
an unnaturally small space between the pelvic bones, 
through which it would be impossible to deliver a fttll-grown 
child. None but a surgeon should be called upon in such 



MIDWIFERY. 65 

critical cases, and only such a necessity as is here indi- 
cated should authorize him to attempt it. 

ABORTION AND MISCARRIAGE. 

Abortion may be said to occur, when the contents of the 
womb are expelled before the sixth month ; miscarriage 
when it happens between the sixth and eighth. Premature 
birth, as above stated, takes place in the eighth or ninth 
month. Miscarriage happens often with the first child, and 
much more frequently than is commonly supposed, with 
women who are approaching the end of their child-bearing 
period ; when it has occurred once, there is a tendency to its 
repetition. Therefore, the greatest care should be taken to 
prevent it ever happening. Among the causes which 
bring it on, may be named nursing a child after conception 
has taken place, frights, falls, straining, strong purgatives, 
excitement, or any sudden or great shock to the system ; 
jumping from any heigJit, such as a chair, and slipping, are 
especially apt to cause it. In case of a second occurrence, 
it will be likely to take place at the same time or period 
during gestation ; if in the sixth month in the first case, in 
the sixth month in the second. It is attended with great 
pain, and affects the system severely. The symptoms of 
miscarriage are pains in the back and loins, a feeling of 
dragging down in the region of the womb, and more or 
less discharge therefrom. 

Upon feeling any of the symptoms, the patient should 
immediately assume a reclining position upon the bed, and 
remain perfectly quiet. Let her take cooling drinks, 
such as lemonade, tamarind-water, or cream of tartar in 
water; place cloths, wrung out in cold water and vinegar, 
equal parts, upon the abdomen, and renew when they 
become warm. If the flooding becomes profuse, all 
hopes of prevention may be given up, and every effort be 
made to ease pain, and relieve the womb of its contents as 



• 66 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

quickly as possible. In some cases it may be necessary to 
resort to mechanical means, but this should be done by a 
surgeon or practitioner only ; and in all cases of this kind, 
it is more necessary to have a physician in- attendance, 
than in common cases of childbirth. It is to be hoped 
that all women of experience will upon every occasion 
warn young wives against doing anything of an unsafe 
nature when pregnant, as we have already done, in our re- 
marks upon the conduct of the mother during pregnancy. 
After miscarriage, the mother should remain in bed for 
some days, and be treated as after childbirth. 

STILL-BORN. 

After the birth of the child, the first duty of the attend- 
ant is to see if it is alive. For this purpose, before the 
cord is tied and cut, it should be turned face upwards, and 
rolled and rubbed to see if it breathes. If no signs of life 
appear, and the cord was noticed to have been wound 
about its neck, it has been choked or strangled, and must 
be revived by sprinkling cold water upon the face, and 
blowing air into the lungs. Should these fail, the child 
should be wrapped in flannel and rolled, rubbed, or worked 
over gently, as the experience of the nurse may suggest. 
Cases are known where, by working steadily, infants have 
been revived six hours after birth ; and none should be 
given up as dead, until indications of decomposition are 
noticed. 

AFTER-BIRTH 

This is the name of that membrane which surrounds the 
child, and the water in which for months it has floated, 
without air, light, or sustenance, except what it has 
obtained from the mother through the umbilical cord. 
One side of the after-birth is attached to the side of the 
womb, and from that portion so attached extends the um- 



MIDWIFERY. 67 

bilical cord, which is two or three feet long, and to the 
other end of which is attached the child at its navel. It is 
called the after-birth from the fact that it comes away, 
usually, a few minutes after the child is born. 

It sometimes happens that this cord gets around the 
child's neck, in which case the nurse or midwife should 
ascertain the fact, and, by skilful management, try and 
bring it over the head, so as to avert the danger of strangu- 
lation. 

AFTER-PAINS. 

These are similar to labor-pains, but much less severe ; 
and of a few minutes' duration each, and may continue, 
more or less, for four or six days after delivery. These 
pains are caused by the contracting of the womb, to re- 
sume its former size. There is more or less escape of 
blood into this organ through its vessel ; — this blood co- 
agulates, and efforts to expel these clots constitute the 
pains. The expulsion brings relief. These pains are said 
to increase in duration and severity, according to the num- 
ber of children born. Should the pains be severe and con- 
tinue for several days, steep a little tansy and hops in spirits 
and water, and lay a flannel wet with it, as hot as the patient 
can' bear, upon the lower part of the abdomen, over the 
womb ; a little spirits in hot water, given at intervals for a 
few days, may be beneficial as a medicine. 

PREGNANCY WHILE NURSING. 

Except in unusual instances, mothers are, after confine- 
ment, free from the ordinary periodical sickness for eight 
or nine months ; but should it appear, is not apt to cause 
disturbance, unless the flowing is profuse and attended 
with pain. Should pregnancy take place, the child must 
at once be weaned, as the disturbance in the system will 
promptly show. In winter, the weaning can be more 



68 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

readily done than in hot weather, — the season for summer 
complaints, and when there are various troubles from using, 
the milk which can be obtained in cities and towns. 

INFLAMMATION OF, OR BROKEN BREAST. 

During nursing, the milk should be regularly and prop- 
erly drawn from the breasts, or they will become inflamed ; 
this condition is indicated by chills and shooting pains, 
which pains increase by pressure. The skin becomes dusky 
red, hot, and shining, the breasts enlarge, become tender 
and throbbing. This condition may be caused by the 
mother's taking cold, but generally is the result of neglect- 
ing to draw the breasts properly. It should be the duty 
of the nurse, to see that this condition does not arise. It 
is best when the slightest sign of swelling and soreness 
appears, to prevent the formation of an abscess by keeping 
the breasts empty, letting the child nurse freely at the 
affected side rather than the well one. The application of 
dry heat is both agreeable and beneficial ; the bowels must 
be well opened, and the breast rubbed with sweet oil and 
liquid camphor. But in case an abscess does form, the 
speedier and more effectual cure is to have it opened by a 
physician. Mother's of still-born children are not subject 
to this trouble. 

MOTHER'S MARKS. 

It is an admitted fact, that during pregnancy there is a 
great susceptibility to impressions, and the effect of this 
may be shown upon the child, in the form of various birth- 
marks, This fact should be carefully borne in mind by the 
woman, as well as by those who are with and caring for 
her. Above everything, let her avoid all sights which are 
repulsive, shocking, or which may be calculated to make 
a vivid impression on her mind. Prominent among these 
may be mentioned unsightly deformities. On this ac- 



MIDWIFERY. 69 

count too much care cannot be used at this period by the 
mother, nor by those who are with her. Allow nothing 
of an unpleasant nature to occur, to bring about this con- 
dition of mind. 

PROTRACTED LABOR. 

Labor may continue for twenty-four or forty-eight hours, 
and when protracted to that length of time, the water 
having come away, the pains being strong, and the presen- 
tation right, no alarm need be felt. The mother should be 
encouraged, should have what gruel she can take, as well 
as wine and water, or weak spirits, which will serve to 
keep up her strength and secure a continuance of the 
pains. The nurse or midwife should learn by an examina- 
tion the kind of presentation that exists. Should the 
head present, and be facing the mother's back, it is as it 
ought to be ; but if the head be in a different position, it 
should be turned, the face towards the back, by the hand 
of the nurse, introduced (after being well oiled), when the 
pain is absent, and turning it. If in the early part of labor 
the breech should present, the nurse should seize it and 
pass it away, to allow the head to come in its place. So 
long as the mother's strength holds out, and the pains con- 
tinue, do not give ergot or other medicine early in labor to 
Jiasten the delivery, as they may cause the death of the child, 
especially ergot (spurred rye). 

IMPROPER FOOD AND MEDICINES. 

When it is remembered that .the effect of everything 
taken by the mother, is at once imparted to the child by 
nursing, the reason for avoiding strong alcoholic stimulants 
and medicines composed of opium or laudanum is plainly 
seen. For this reason all coarse and indigestible food, or 
of such nature as would be liable to create disturbances 
in the mother, should be avoided. 



JO OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

It is a fact well known, that laxative medicines given to 
the mother affect the infant in a few hours, and other 
medicines, food, and drink in a similar manner. 

Undoubtedly there are cases in which a little wine or 
stimulants can, and ought to be given, and will be of great 
advantage (as in cases of weakness after childbirth) ; but 
giving alcoholic stimulant as a practice, should not be allowed. 

SORE NIPPLES. 

Women suffering from sore nipples are apt to keep the 
infant at the breast least affected, and applying it to the 
tender side only, for the purpose of obtaining relief from 
the pain of the full breast. This trouble usually begins 
as a small crack, which does not appear to heal, and which, 
on account of the child's mouth being so often applied, 
has a tendency to become ulcerated. Sometimes these 
ulcers are on the surface, but often they are deeply seated 
in the nipple itself; yet they could readily be healed, were 
it not for the frequent nursing of the child, l^wo objects 
are to be sought : to protect the part from continued irrita- 
tion, and to Jieal the soreness. For the first, the nipple may 
be protected with an india-rubber shield of the right size 
and form ; for the other purpose, use a strong decoction of 
green tea, or a piece of alum the size of a pea, dissolved 
in a wine-glass full of water ; one of the best lotions that 
can be applied is one ounce of pure glycerine, and five 
grains of tannin, or a teaspoonful of decoction of oak-bark, 
and one of sweet oil. When the infant is not at the breast 
the nipples should be kept covered with a piece of soft 
linen, wet with the above astringent lotion. Of course the 
wash should be removed from the nipple before the child 
nurses. 



TEETHING. J I 



TEETHING. 

There is no fixed time at which the first teeth of chil- 
dren will appear ; but an infant will usually cut some teeth 
at the age of six or seven months. As this period is a 
trying one to both mother and child (the little one in 
almost all cases being cross and fretful, which is natural 
and to be expected), it is looked forward to with anxiety by 
the mother. We give some general rules regarding the 
times at which the various teeth appear. The first teeth 
are called milk-teeth, and come in the following order : — 

First. The two lower middle front teeth, at six or 
eight months of age. 

Second. At the age of eight or nine months, the six 
front teeth in the upper jaw, the two in the centre, being 
in advance of the two on each side of them. 

Third. About the fifteenth month of age, six teeth ap- 
pear at nearly the same time ; these are the two front 
grinders or double teeth in the upper jaw, the two front 
grinders in the lower jaw, and the two lower front teeth, 
one on each side of the central two, which appeared first of 
all. 

Fourth. Between one and a half and two years of age, 
the canine teeth are cut. These are opposite the eye-teeth, 
so called, in the upper jaw. 

Fifth. Between the ages of two and a half and three 
years, the second four grinders are usually cut. 

Generally when the child has reached the age of five or 
six years, the second or permanent teeth begin to appear, 
and are cut, one or two at a time, at intervals, until the list 
is completed ; the appearance of the wisdom-teeth may 
happen at any time, between the ages of eighteen and 
twenty-four years, or later. 



72 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



DIARRHOEA OF INFANTS. 

If an infant has diarrhoea, it is caused by impure milk. 
If cow's milk is used, this may be caused by the animal's 
feeding upon certain herbs or weeds, which impart to the 
milk a laxative tendency ; if the mother's milk only is 
given, the same effect may be seen in the child, after her 
partaking of improper food. 

If cow's milk is to be used in feeding a child, it is impor- 
tant to select a young and healthy animal, to know that 
she is well and carefully fed, and not allowed to eat all 
sorts of food. Let her have only that food from which it 
would seem impossible that the milk could acquire the 
slightest taint. When a child fed from a bottle has bowel 
complaint, give sweetened yarrow tea, with half a tea- 
spoonful of sweet oil. If the child nurses the mother, she 
may drink yarrow tea morning, noon, and night ; and if 
the discharges do not then cease, let her chew, very slowly 
during the day, a piece of rhubarb as large as a bean, and 
swallow the saliva therefrom. This will affect the milk 
and reach the child. 

If the operations are frequent and green, or dark-colored, 
give for an injection a tablespoonful of cinnamon or all- 
spice tea, adding a little powdered starch or flour, and ten 
drops of laudanum ; if this comes away soon, give half the 
quantity after fifteen minutes. If this is retained one hour, 
give another injection of the same ; if there are streaks of 
blood in the discharges, make a strong tea of white-oak 
bark, add the starch and a few drops of laudanum, and 
give as an injection. 

If the relaxation is caused by teething, it is not easy to 
check suddenly, neither is it desirable. 



fits. 73 

FITS. 

In cases of fits or convulsions, brought on by teething 
or improper food, let the child be put into a warm bath, 
followed by feeding gruel, into which has been put twenty 
or thirty drops of castor-oil ; also give an injection of warm 
water and castile soap, which will usually relieve the child 
as soon as the bowels are moved. 

An excellent injection for children can be made by dis- 
solving a tablespoonful of sugar in half a pint of warm 
water, and in case an operation does not take place in an 
hour after giving the injection, repeat it, giving half the 
quantity. 

Sometimes when fits are caused by teething, it is well to 
lance the gums directly on the spot where a tooth is about 
to cut through. However, it is best to let the child have 
some hard substance, like rubber, to bite on and bring the 
teeth through ; for if the gums are lanced too soon, they 
will heal over, and be hard for the teeth to press through. 

If the fits are caused by worms, small doses of pink-root 
tea, made of half an ounce of pink-root and two drachms 
of senna in a pint of water, and give one wine-glass full at a 
dose. 

NURSERY MEDICINES. 

These, in a great majority of cases, consist of soothing 
syrups and paregoric, and, whenever these are found, they 
should be disposed of as not only undesirable, but positively 
injurious. Except in cholera or diarrhoea, there are no 
diseases of children in which any preparation of opium need 
be administered ; but to avoid the noise of crying children, 
nurses are very free to use any syrups or medicines that 
will quiet the little sufferer. Many a child's life has been 
made miserable, by narcotic poisons that have been sown 
in its system by this practice. The use of such means as 



74 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

injections, warm baths, and gentle purgatives is always 
safe, and no unpleasant effect is left. And these, too, are 
almost always at hand. 

We want to say most emphatically, that the less medicine 
given to children, the better for them. Alany tJwusands of 
children are dosed into poor health, and multitudes have been 
dosed into their graves. There should be no such thing as 
nursery medicines ; the mother, by taking care of herself, 
can ordinarily keep her child in good health. Let any medi- 
cines given be taken only under the directions of the phy- 
sician or experienced nurse. 

INFANTICIDE. 

After conception a new and independent life exists 
within the mother, and any attempt made by any person to 
enable her to avoid bringing the same into being, is an 
endeavor to take human life ; any cjfoit made by Jier for this 
purpose is an attempt at child-murder, and of her ozvn child. 
The perpetrators of this act are guilty of wilful murder, 
and liable to punishment as murderers, and for this crime 
the law is justly severe, but not too much so. As before 
stated, a physical condition of the mother may exist, which 
demands abortion or premature delivery, in order to save 
her life, but no other reason can be given as justifying 
such means. 

If the motherly feeling and instinct are not strong 
enough to overcome every inclination to resort to any such 
practice, the fact that it is exceedingly dauge?'ous to them- 
selves, and productive of endless misery {in the way of womb 
difficulties and injured health), may work tipon their fears 
and prevent this dreadful crime of abortion. ■ There is noth- 
ing more certain than the fact, that every woman who avails 
herself of such means will pay the extreme penalty in health 
and happiness, or both, if not of the criminal law. 



OVER-NURSING. 75 

OVER-NURSING. 

The secretions of milk in the breast of a mother in good 
health will usually amount to two or three pints during the 
twenty-four hours, and the child will require that quantity, 
nursing, as it does, eight or ten times daily during the first 
three months, and four or six times per day when five or 
six months of age. Therefore, it will be seen, that a 
mother can usually furnish all the nourishment needed by 
her child. Should a further supply be needed, let there be 
care used (as directed) in securing cow's milk of an unmis- 
takably good quality, and in keeping the same milk in use. 
Let this be mixed with an equal quantity of water (for 
children three months old), slightly sweetened and warmed. 

The symptoms of over-nursing shown in the mother are 
nervous depression, debility, wakefulness, pains in the back 
and shoulders, and headache, all of which go to prove that 
a great draft is being made upon the system. When any 
of the above symptoms make their appearance, the child 
should be partly supplied with cow's milk, which will at 
once be seen to take part of the burden off the mother, and 
relieve her. 

By this means the mother will be enabled to nurse her 
child as long as required, or until such time as may be 
selected for weaning, unless some other reason should 
hinder. 

MOTHERS WHO CANNOT NURSE. 

Although there are manifold reasons why a mother 
should nurse her child in all cases where this is possible 
(one of which reasons is that by nature's wise provision a 
nursing mother commonly does not become pregnant for a 
period of nine or ten months after confinement), still there 
may, in many instances, exist the strongest objections to her 
nursing it, and objections of such nature that they must be 



j6 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

regarded. A tendency to insanity or cancer should pre- 
vent the mother's taking charge of her child ; also the 
presence of scrofula or consumption, which latter cannot 
be anything but disastrous to both mother and child. It is 
in this way only, that any strong predisposition to disease 
in the mother may be helped or overcome in the child's 
case. 

In this event it will be necessary to employ a wet-nurse, 
or bring the child up on a bottle with cow's milk ; and in 
selecting a person for wet-nurse it is only prudence to exer- 
cise the greatest care, as any person may well imagine. 
The nurse ought to be both healthy and young, some writ- 
ers advising the employment only of nurses not exceeding 
thirty years of age. She should have had experience in 
nursing and taking care of infants. The nearer in age her 
own child is to that which she is to nurse the better, 
because the greater the difference in the age of the children 
the more liability of the milk disagreeing with the younger. 
The same freedom from all hereditary taints and diseases 
as were required in the mother must be insisted upon here. 
A good disposition is an invaluable characteristic for a 
nurse to possess, because children should never be put to 
the breast of one who is angry. The effect of an infant 
suckling the milk of an angry or greatly excited person is 
most unfortunate. 

It seems almost needless to say that if the nurse becomes 
pregnant, her place must be filled by another. In many 
cases it will be the place of the doctor to furnish the nurse, 
in which event he will be the one to assume responsibility 
in regard to her fitness for the position. 

WEANING. 

Weaning the child should be done in ordinary cases at 
the age of fourteen or eighteen months, and it should be 
done in cool weather, if practicable. There may be cases 



WEANING. yj 

in which the child should be weaned at the age of twelve 
months, or continued to eighteen, or even twenty months, 
if the mother has not become pregnant, or had a return of 
the catameriia; if so, the child should be at once taken 
from her and fed from the bottle. If a wet-nurse has 
become sick, has her periodical returns, or becomes preg- 
nant, she should not be allowed to nurse the child ; and it 
is not well to inform the nurse of your intended change, 
until her successor is present, or she is about leaving. 
When the child is fourteen or sixteen months old, it 
has ten teeth, and may digest ordinary food if cut into 
small pieces or fed in small quantities. To wean a child 
in the city in summer, is regarded by the best authorities 
as almost certain death. 

The process of weaning by some is tedious, embracing 
two or three months, while others accomplish it in two 
weeks. A very common way in New England is for the 
mother to wash the nipple with a strong solution of aloes, 
wormwood, or other bitter substance ; after a few trials at 
the breast, the child gives up in despair. We advise wean- 
ing the child during the day, letting it nurse occasionally 
during the night, and not taking it from the breast too 
suddenly ; it must, in the meantime, be fed with milk and 
such solid food as before mentioned. 

The weaning of the child is an important event with the 
mother, who looks at the almanac to see if the signs are 
going down and below the heart (in the groin or thighs) ; 
this may be regarded by some as a whim, but to others is 
a matter of the greatest importance. 

The mother's breast must be drawn from day to day, 
and means used for drying the milk, such as the nurse 
rubbing it often with her hand. If any hardness or lumps 
appear, rub them several times daily with sweet oil, or 
goose grease and liquid camphor ; and if there is much 
milk, and the fulness becomes painful, let the breasts be 
drawn in part. 



yS OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



GROWTH AND TREATMENT OF THE HAIR. 

Infants' heads should be attended to for' the healthy 
growth of the hair for the first week or two, by washing the 
head when the child is washed. It is not a good plan to 
apply soapsuds to the head often, and when used it should 
be weak, as such applications remove the natural oil (so 
necessary to its growth and healthy condition). After 
washing with soap, rinsing, and drying, a little oil should 
be well rubbed in ; and by rubbing and stimulating the 
scalp, the growth of the hair is greatly assisted. Let the 
scalp be kept moistened with a little oil. 

Constant care and attention is the price of a good head 
of hair : when this on the child s head gets to be an inch in 
length, the mother will see the results of her labor. As a 
head of fine hair is always admired (besides being very 
desirable), let its care be continued ; of course any brush 
used on children's heads should be soft. In addition to a 
little oil, well rubbed into the hair, once or twice a week, 
the following is an excellent preparation or tonic for daily 
use by adults as well as children : Water, four ounces ; 
castor-oil, one ounce ; alcohol, one ounce ; borax, one 
drachm or a teaspoonful ; mix the alcohol and oil together 
first ; then add water, borax, and any perfumery desired. 

Frequently after childbirth the mother's hair combs out 
freely ; to prevent this, let her wet her head or scalp daily 
with the above wash. 

CHOLERA INFANTUM. 

This is, perhaps, the most common disease among chil- 
dren in summer and autumn. In many instances it comes 
like an epidemic, attacking nearly all the infants and chil- 
dren in the place, and often in many towns and places 
simultaneously. It may result from a peculiar condition 



SLEEP FOR CHILDREN. 79 

of the atmosphere. It is usually preceded by diarrhoea for 
a few days, which is attributed to the mother's eating un- 
ripe or stale vegetables and berries, which have deranged 
her stomach and bowels, but which she may relieve by 
prudence. 

Let her take a little castor-oil or carbonate of magnesia, 
or chew pieces of rhubarb root as large as a pea. (The 
root of garden rhubarb cut into pieces and dried is good.) It 
sometimes happens that vomiting is the first symptom — 
the tongue is white, the patient thirsty, head hot, skin dry, 
feet cold, pulse quick, and the child restless in sleep. If 
the medicine taken by the mother does not check the 
child's diarrhoea, it may take, every twenty minutes, a tea- 
spoonful of tea, made of half an ounce blackberry -root, half 
teaspoonful pulverized dried rhubarb-root, half teaspoonful 
ginger, half teaspoonful soda or saleratus, one teaspoon 
white sugar, all to be well steeped in half a pint of water. 
If there is vomiting, break ice into small pieces, say, as 
large as peas, and if the child is old enough to swallow, let 
them be taken one at a time until a tablespoonful has been 
given. When the stomach will retain food, give gum 
arable or slippery elm, dissolved or mixed with sweetened 
water. 

SLEEP FOR CHILDREN. 

Until a child is six years of age, it is safe to say that 
fully one-half of its time is passed in sleep. During all 
this period the growth is very rapid, and we think it well 
to allow the little one to sleep in the morning until it 
awakens fully rested. They need also an hour or two 
of sleep in the middle of the day, but this may be left off 
at six years of age. From this period, the length of time 
passed in sleep may be gradually reduced, until it amounts 
to about eight hours, or the time commonly devoted to 
sleep by adults. During a child's zvaking hours, it is on 



80 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

the go, and moving about all the time, and in no way can the 
needed rest be supplied, except by sleep. Infants pass the 
greater part of the time in sleep. 

If the child sleeps with its mother, let the latter see that 
it has plenty of room, go to sleep lying on her side, and 
facing the little one, so she will not be liable to roll upon 
it ; see that there is no danger of the clothes getting over 
the head and smothering it, because an infant in such 
cases is not able to help itself in the least. 

A child sleeping alone must be warm enough, but not 
too much so, especially in summer, and kept out of drafts ; 
the difference between the warmth of a feather-bed and a 
mattress must be taken into account. It should early be 
taught to go to bed in the dark without fear. The practice 
of frightening children should be rigidly forbidden, and 
when done, the offender ought to be severely punished. 
The effect of such frightening often lasts the child through 
its whole life. Let damp clothing and drafts be strictly 
guarded against. 

DIET OF YOUNG CHILDREN. 

It is impossible to lay down any specific rules as to the 
kinds and quantities of food that should be given to chil- 
dren of different ages ; but some general rules may be 
given and followed to advantage : First, When the little 
one is old enough to eat any material quantity of solid food, 
let it be taken at regular intervals during the day. Second, 
Do not give the child highly-seasoned food, pickles, very 
salt food, that is hard to digest ; avoid candies, also tea and 
coffee, which are not necessary or desirable, while milk is 
excellent, and is greatly enjoyed. Third, If necessary, and 
it will be, let the child have a lunch in the morning and 
one in the afternoon, at regular times, and of good nour- 
ishing food, such as bread and butter, or bread and milk, 
and not cake, pies, doughnuts, or sweet diet. Fourth, 



CLOTHING OF CHILDREN. 8 1 

Teach the little one to eat slowly, and chew all food prop- 
erly, which should be done in order to have the digestion 
good ; and do not allow it to eat a great variety. As 
already stated, the kinds of food given, as well as the quan- 
tity, must depend entirely upon the judgment of the nurse 
or mother. The growth during childhood is very rapid, so 
that besides the large amount of sleep needed at this 
period, there will be a correspondingly large quantity of 
food needed to supply the demands made by the system. 
The appetite of a healthy child is at all times keen, and 
much larger in proportion than that of a grown person. 

CLOTHING OF CHILDREN. 

From the manner in which children are sometimes 
dressed one would not imagine them to be the sensitive 
little beings to cold that they are. In countless instances, 
mothers do not realize their lack of care in this respect, 
but clothe their little ones in such manner as to sacrifice 
both comfort and health to fashion or appearances. In 
cold, or even cool or damp weather, no child should ever 
be dressed with the neck, arms, or legs exposed, as is com- 
monly done. This practice, in place of hardening or 
strengthening the child, as claimed, renders it liable to 
sickness and death. The way to harden or build left a con- 
stitution is to take good care of it. 

Let the clothing be light as possible, warm enough, and 
have all parts of the body protected ; flannel is a most ex- 
cellent kind of clothing, and should be used the entire 
year, heavier being employed during the winter. The 
effect of fine soft flannel worn next the body is very bene- 
ficial. 

Let all clothing be loose, and of such nature that it may 
be put on or taken off readily ; be made for warmth and 
health instead of appearance. 



82 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



AIR, EXERCISE, AND LIGHT. 

These are as necessary to the healthy growth of the 
child as they are to all plants, and these, as we know, 
cannot do without them. Children born in winter cannot 
be taken into the outer air for some time, and then only 
for very short while. In summer, the out-of-door exercise 
can be quite freely indulged in, on suitable days. 

For a delicate child, air and sunshine are the most bene- 
ficial in their action, and a ride or moderate airing will 
often quiet a fretful child, who will learn to look for it, 
and show pleasure in taking it. In no case, however, is 
it advisable to expose a young child, to wet or windy 
weather. 

The first week or ten days of an infant's life must be 
passed in a dimly-lighted apartment, either with the face 
partly covered, or in a room partially darkened. The young 
eyes are not able to stand the full light, but should be 
accustomed to it gradually. The effect of neglecting this 
precaution, may be seen in the form of inflamed eyes, with 
which so many children are troubled. 

Various diseases may be brought on, or their seeds devel- 
oped, by the child's having a lack of fresh air and sunlight. 
And that mother is not true to her duty, who, for fear of 
her children becoming freckled or burned by the sun, keeps 
them within doors, and plants in their cheeks the pale 
looks of an invalid rather than brown their faces with the 
tan and glow that belong to ruddy health. 

There are tJiousands of young persons now taking iron 
tonics, and innumerable preparations for their blood and 
general system, zuJw need only those from which they have 
excluded themselves so carefully, and which are fresh air, 
sunshine, and moderate exercise. 

For some three months after birth the spine of a child is 



GAMES AND PLAYS. 83 

not strong enough to enable it to support itself in a sitting 
position, therefore, during this time, it should be kept in a 
reclining attitude, and when carried can be placed upon a 
pillow, or properly supported by the arms of the nurse. 
In lifting young children, it should never be done by taking 
them by one or both arms, because at this time of life the 
bones are held in their proper positions but weakly by the 
muscles, and any sudden pull or wrench is liable to be fol- 
lowed by a fracture or a dislocation. 

When it is desired to lift a child, place one hand on each 
side of the body, directly over the chest, and under the 
arms, the thumbs being on the front and fingers on the 
back of the chest, when the child faces you. 

It is a very common practice for mothers, nurses, and 
visitors to toss a young child into the air, catching it when 
descending. This practice cannot be too strongly censured, 
because no benefit can come from its indulgence, while 
great harm may result from it. Many of the cripples in 
our midst owe their deformities to falls they had in infancy. 
When old enough, let the little folks go out of doors in all 
pleasant weather, and stay and play there ; — the more they 
can be out the better ; they cannot have too much of it. 
No matter if they do get burned by the sun ; put old 
clothes on them, and let them dig in the dirt, and make 
all the houses and mud-pies they want to. 

GAMES AND PLAYS. 

The benefits received by children from various games 
and plays cannot be over-estimated ; in this way only can 
the foundation of a robust constitution and good health be 
laid. Thoughtful parents will see the wisdom of a child's 
developing itself physically in this manner, and allow the 
fullest reasonable indulgence in them. Nearly all plays 
are desirable ; for instance, one may train and quicken the 



84 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

eyesight or the hearing ; others may assist the memory 
and mental faculties ; while some will develop the whole 
muscular system by the running and jumping to be in- 
dulged in. 

No child ought to be sent to school until six or seven 
years of age. Many are sent much younger, but there is 
never any gain in the end. In many cases it is done to 
get the child out of the way and relieve the mother of the 
care ; and our readers can form an opinion in regard to 
sncJi a reason, whether it is wise or cruel. 

When a little one is sent to school so young, the time 
which it ought to be spending in the air and sunshine, 
strengthening its little frame, so that it will be fitted to 
withstand sickness and disease, is passed in the close 
school-room, while it attempts to keep its mind for hours 
busy on the work before it. Upon arriving at the age we 
have mentioned, the child is much better able to endure 
the confinement, and to keep his mind on the lessons ; 
learns faster in proportion, and in the long run will come 
out as well in the studies as those who started earlier, and, 
the chances are, better physically. 

This crowding and pushing boys and girls on in their 
studies in our schools and colleges is in thousands of 
instances disastrous to them. In utter disregard of their 
health, their age, or their getting sufficient exercise, they 
are urged on to fresh trials by the parents. In proof of 
this, let any person visit any of our higher schools or col- 
leges, and notice the number of pale, thin, and careworn- 
looking scholars, who have sacrificed their physical to their 
mental development. 

We say, give us robust health, with moderate knowledge, 
rather than a Jiead stored with education and a broken con- 
stitution. 



APOPLEXY. 85 

APOPLEXY, 

Except so far as the heart and lungs are involved, might 
pass for death. During the continuance of a fit, there is 
an entire loss of motion and of all the senses, and the third 
attack almost invariably terminates the life of the patient. 
Tall, spare persons are seldom or never attacked by 
apoplexy, however much their habits and manner of living 
may resemble those of persons whom the disease affects. 
It usually seizes persons who are stout, red-faced, and have 
short necks, and especially when advanced in years and 
given to high living or free eating of rich foods, and drink- 
ing wines and liquors. 

Tendency to attacks of this nature are, m many cases, in- 
herited, and the fits usually show themselves suddenly ; 
inactivity, taken in connection with full diet, is another 
cause of this complaint, while violent exertions may bring 
it on. Elderly persons in cold and rainy seasons are liable 
to this complaint. The direct cause of apoplexy is an 
over quantity of blood or serum in the brain ; and the 
treatment must be such as is calculated to afford relief by 
drawing it down from the head, and sending it circulating 
through the extremities. 

Let the collar be at once loosened, and the head and 
neck treated with cold applications, while the feet can be 
put into hot water for a quarter of an hour. It would 
seem as though bleeding would be a means of relief, but 
experience has not always proved tHis to be the case, — 
sometimes far to the contrary, because the trouble is not 
owing to the quantity of blood, but to the unequal circula- 
tion of the fluid. 

Any person who does not take the first attack of this 
sort as a fearful warning; to change his habits and manner 
of living, but keeps on in precisely the same way, simply 
invites death. Regard for his life imperatively demands 



86 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

that he shall at once, after such experience, deny himself 
the free use of rich foods, and wines or liquors, and confine 
himself to a spare and cooling diet, composed largely of 
vegetables ; he should adopt regular hours and habits, 
take regular and moderate exercise, and indulge in walk- 
ing, bathing, and riding ; it is best to avoid fatigue, great 
excitement, and too close application to study, or business 
in which brain-work enters ; nor should a patient remain 
for any length of time in positions which tend to force the 
blood towards the head. 

Apoplectic patients being generally subject to cold feet, 
the adoption of any means by which the extremities may 
be kept warm and dry, and the circulation assisted therein, 
cannot be otherwise than beneficial ; and so long as the 
stomach is not overloaded, the organs of digestion will not 
be injured. The person will feel in every way better, the 
circulation will be improved, and the patient, aside from 
escaping the dangers of dyspepsia, indigestion, and other 
ailments, induced by abusing the stomach, will greatly 
lessen his liability of receiving further visitations from the 
dreaded apoplexy. 

All cases of this disease should be in charge of a physi- 
cian as soon as possible. 



INSANITY. 

The word is derived from two Latin words, meaning not 
sound, and the. condition is defined as a derangement of 
the intellect. Though there cannot be a great deal said 
as to what should or should not be done, yet the condition 
demands some attention, in the hope that mankind, by 
reading and learning of the cases to which this state is 
attributed, may be able to escape it in a measure. 

The manner in which this derangement may be manifest 
is varied. It may exist as a morbid and perverted condition 






INSANITY. 8? 

of the natural feelings and disposition, and without any 
apparent or particular delusion in any one direction ; or it 
may be shown by holding wild or unreasonable views upon 
some cme subject (while upon others the reasoning will be 
sound), and by the exhibition of the greatest excitability 
when dwelling upon or referring to the one special subject ; 
or raving madness, with ceaseless activity, incoherent mut- 
terings, and displays of violence, through all of which there 
is hardly a gleam of reason. 

A noticeable fact in all cases of the kind is the existence 
of some mental delusion, based on religious excitement, 
fear of endless punishment, disappointment in love, loss of 
property, imaginary missions or identities ; and in the 
belief of such delusions the patient lives and acts. When 
such delusion is harmless, the person need not be placed 
under restraint ; but when the tendency of their condition 
is vicious, the subject cannot be too soon removed to an 
asylum, and placed beyond the possibility of doing harm ; 
experience having in many cases demonstrated in a shock- 
ing manner the need of such a move. 

Although a mental condition, it will usually be found to 
have been caused by some disturbance of the general, 
health, such as a restless and sleepless condition at night, 
nervousness, excitability, and eccentricity. In some in- 
stances the condition appears suddenly, and without any 
warning, being caused by some great emotion, like joy, 
grief, or fear, and Especially is this true where an heredi- 
tary tendency exists ; poor food and impure air may also 
do their part in the work of undermining the reason. 

The treatment of the insane naturally resolves itself into 
the moral and the medical. As to the latter, if the com. 
dition proceeds from a diseased function, the efforts will 
all be toward restoring the same to its normal condition or 
action. As to the moral treatment, we are glad to say that 
each State is providing one or more asylums for the in- 



88 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

sane (the number of whom, we regret to say, is increas- 
ing), where the afflicted can be treated according to the 
degree of complaint. Should there be no improvement 
manifested at the end of a year's treatment, the physicians 
in charge do not usually hope for a recovery or marked 
benefit. The time of life at which the chance of recovery 
is best is between the ages of twenty and thirty ; in ad- 
vanced life, it may generally be said to be hopeless. Sta- 
tistics show that the majority of demented persons are 
females, and also that they can be cured more readily than 
men ; still this fact can be accounted for by the restraints 
of society. 

Whatever tends to build up and strengthen the system, 
and render the health robust, is the best preventive of 
insanity. The country is comparatively free from it, and 
this fact can be accounted for by the difference between 
the habits, occupations, and manners of those living in the 
rural districts and those living in the cities. In the latter 
places all is hurry, excitement, confusion, anxiety, late 
hours, and irregular habits ; while in the farming, or 
country places, a quiet life is the rule — nothing but regu- 
lar living and entire freedom from excitement and dis- 
turbing causes. The effects of the two modes of life are 
plainly stamped upon the faces of those living in the one 
or the other locality. By all means spare the nervous sys- 
tem from excitement and bustle. Intemperance, slowly, 
perhaps, but surely working, is another cause to avoid ; the 
anxieties of business life, and the inability of controlling 
the feelings. The best possible manner of guarding our- 
selves against this condition is, to understand the laws of 
our being, and to build upon the broad and solid founda- 
tion of good health ; and so long as we remain in such 
condition of body, just so long are we shielded with the 
best possible armor against the dangers of a clouded 
intellect. 



BRAIN FEVER. 89 



BRAIN FEVER. 

INFLAMMATION OF THE BRAIN. 

This may be of the membrane surrounding the brain, or 
of the substance of the brain itself ; the cause may be in- 
tense and continued mental application, exposure to great 
heat, cold, or dampness, from fits of extreme passion, frac- 
ture of the skull, or excessive use of alcoholic drinks. 

The symptoms are pain in the head, intense and deep- 
seated tightness from ear to ear across the forehead, 
throbbing of the temporal arteries, flushed face, bloodshot 
eyes, with a wildness and brilliancy about them, pupils of 
the eyes contracted, showing that light is painful. These 
are followed by delirium, sleeplessness, and the whole may 
be terminated in one day or continue for weeks ; or it may 
result in convulsions and death in a few days, if not sub- 
dued by treatment. 

The treatment should be such as will divert the blood 
from the head, and restore the circulation to all parts of 
the body. Let the head and face be bathed in cold water 
and alcohol, and the feet be placed in a tub of hot water, 
in which has been dissolved a teaspoonful of saleratus. If 
with a frequent use of this treatment, the head is not re- 
lieved so that the patient can see, and the pupils become 
dilated, then pound ice into small pieces, as large as cher- 
ries, and put a quantity of them (perhaps two quarts) into 
a cloth bag ; place this bag in a large pan or shallow basin, 
which will serve to catch any of the water that drips, and 
place the patient's head upon the bag and his feet in warm 
water. If the ice feels too cold, remove it for a time and 
then replace it ; put the feet into the hot bath three or 
four times a day, and see that the bowels are kept from 
being costive by using the following : — 



90 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

Salts 2 ounces. 

Senna i ounce 

Manna . . i " 

Pulverized Ginger i teaspoonful. 

Steep for half an hour in a pint of water, strain and bottle. 
Of this give for a close half a wine-glass full three or four 
times a day, according to the freedom with which the 
bowels operate, and which, at this time, should be four or 
six times in twenty-four hours. Almost everything de- 
pends upon active cathartics, in connection with the heat 
applied to the feet, and perhaps to the sides, chest, and 
abdomen, by means of cloths wet in hot vinegar and worm- 
wood, laid upon those places, and changed often. 

The drinks should be cool, and such as tea, toast water, 
lemonade, tamarind water, cream of tartar water, sweet- 
ened to the taste, and gruel. Small pieces of ice may be 
swallowed often. Drafts of burdock or onions, or both, 
may be applied to the feet and hands when the feet are 
not in the bath. Should there be any retention of the 
urine, give fifteen or twenty drops of sweet spirits of nitre, 
in a tablespoonful of peppermint or pennyroyal tea, every 
twenty minutes, and place a fomentation of wormwood and 
rum, or vinegar, on the lower part of the abdomen, over 
the bladder, and renew when it gets cool. This disease 
requires the best medical skill, and should have it early, 
and not delay until too late. If these remedies do not act 
effectually, the urine must be drawn by a catheter. 

HYPOCHONDRIA. 

This disease, sometimes called vapors, or low spirits, is 
an imaginary, mental disorder, caused by the condition of 
the nervous system ; it is, in fact, the lowest type of mental 
derangement or insanity, and is closely connected with 
disordered digestive organs. The complaint is character- 
ized by such feelings as loss of recollection, or activity, 



GIDDINESS. 91 

melancholy, dread, or apprehension of some impending 
evil, thinking themselves severely afflicted with some 
dreadful disease ; in fact, there is great solicitude felt 
regarding their health and life. 

This trouble may be said to originate in dyspepsia, 
brooding continually over some trouble, disappointment, 
anxiety, association with affected or low-spirited persons, 
or from causes calculated to shatter the nerves. Physi- 
cians agree in pronouncing cases of this nature very diffi- 
cult and delicate to manage. Though the ailments are 
wholly imaginary, the patient must never be told so. En- 
deavor to get him confident in the belief that y 011 can cure 
liim, and, this accomplished, a great point is gained. Cor- 
rect everything that may possibly have a tendency to in- 
crease the affection ; let the patient have good, cheerful 
company, as well as a change of air, exercise, regular 
hours, and regular habits. In the summer months, if pos- 
sible, let the sea-shore be visited, and sea-bathing indulged 
in. Some light bitters, or tonic, for the appetite may be 
well enough to give; but what is needed, more than medi- 
cine, is change, and to keep the patient's thoughts away 
from himself. 

GIDDINESS, 

Or vertigo, as it is technically termed, may occur at various 
times, and may result from sundry causes ; a person in 
health, without any apparent reason, becomes dizzy, and 
staggers about. The feeling is similar to that produced 
by swinging, dancing the round-dances, ascending to 
heights, etc., and may last for a few minutes only, or be 
felt for several hours. 

In Flint's Practice, the author says, "he has never known 
it to be a premonition (or forerunner) of apoplexy, paraly- 
sis, or epilepsy." With females this feeling may proceed 
from difficulty in menstruation. Where any particular act 



92 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

is known to induce this feeling, it is needless to advise the 
same to be discontinued ; where the cause is unknown a 
physician should be consulted. The patient can be as- 
sured that this indicates the presence of no other disease, 
and treatment for the removal of it alone is to be adopted. 

HEADACHE. 

This affection may be brought on by a number of causes, 
— such as overloading the stomach, and causing acidity, ner- 
vousness, lack of exercise, impure air, excitement, debility, 
and tendency of blood to the head. The treatment must be 
governed by the cause, which has to be known. In the 
great number of cases, the cause may be said to be over- 
eating, or eating improper and indigestible food, and in 
such instances, relief can be had by taking an emetic of 
a teaspoonful of mustard, and half as much salt in warm 
water. This will thoroughly cleanse the stomach ; a tea- 
spoonful of powdered charcoal, or citrate of magnesia, will 
afford relief when acidity is the cause. 

When the cause arises from debility, as is sometimes 
the case with females, the patient can make use of some 
tonics or wines, with which to nourish the system ; if 
from a tendency of blood to the head, the feet can be 
placed in hot water, into which some salt has been put, 
and thus draw the blood down Other methods to equalize 
the circulation can be adopted. In many cases to go with- 
out eating, perhaps omitting the next meal, will be enough 
to accomplish the desired result. One of the most thorough 
emetics that can be employed is equal parts of lobelia and 
mustard, each a tablespoonful, and half as much blood-root 
as lobelia. Mix thoroughly in half-a-pint of water ; dose, a 
tablespoonful every twenty minutes, in a cupful of warm 
tea, mint, or catnip, till free vomiting takes place. After 
the stomach becomes somewhat settled, some broth, gruel, 
or tea and toast can be taken. 



SUNSTROKE. 93 

Tea and coffee may be used, apparently, without any ill- 
effects, by those who are engaged in active out-of-door 
work most of the time ; but for persons whose business is of 
a sedentary nature we do not recommend them, especially 
the coffee. A safe and healthy drink and medicine com- 
bined may be made by steeping dandelion-root, black cherry, 
and butternut barks, a cupful of each, in a quart of water, 
and taking a wine-glassful three times a day. 

The great mass of mankind bring on headaches and 
other aches by overloading the stomach, — over-eating ; and 
the sooner they learn this fact, and live in accordance with 
it, the better it will be for them and their children. 

SUNSTROKE. 

Such accident, as is well known, is caused by exposure 
to the rays of the sun, though those working under cover 
(in such places as laundries) may be similarly affected. 
Very close, muggy days are productive of sunstroke, and 
persons who have been afflicted in this manner can foretell 
an attack by the fact that the perspiration will cease on the 
approach of such danger. 

All that can be clone for a sunstruck person is to remove 
him to a cool room, put to the head applications of ice or 
cold water, and sponge the neck and shoulders with cool 
water ; bleeding in many cases has proved beneficial, but 
such an operation should be intrusted to a doctor only, and 
in all cases of this sort we certainly recommend sending 
for one. 

The old saying that " an ounce of prevention is worth a 
pound of cure," is surely applicable to this case ; and we 
strongly advise all who are engaged in out-of-door occupa- 
tions during the hot season to use the prevention, by 
wearing inside of the hat some large green leaves, such as 
cabbage, rhubarb, or burdock, or a cloth or sponge, wet 



94 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

with cool water, and to wet it again when it becomes 
warm. One trial of this plan will convince anybody of its 
value. 

CATALEPSY. 

This is a spasmodic seizure which controls the person, 
and causes the body and limbs to be retained in the posi- 
tion in which they were when the attack came on, or in 
any other in which they may be placed, regardless of how 
unnatural or painful it might be. In some cases the limbs 
are so rigid that they can with great difficulty be moved. 
Ordinarly it lasts but a few hours, though it may continue 
for days, and upon its departure leaves no effect or disease 
as a result of its presence ; nor has the subject any recol- 
lection of the lapse of time, or of passing events. 

During the continuation of the fit, the patient remains 
otherwise in a natural condition, the body warm, and unlike 
its appearance in death. Nevertheless, while in cataleptic 
fits, many persons have been buried, and, shocking as it 
may seem, have aroused to consciousness when in their 
coffins, where after ineffectual struggles they died in- 
deed. Instances of this sort, which can be related, should 
serve as a terrible warning to those near and dear, to 
such as are unfortunately afflicted with this extraordinary 
affection. 

In very many cases the patient is not wholly uncon- 
scious of passing events ; the sense of hearing, especially, 
may be active, while all the others are perfectly dormant, 
or lost, and the only existing or apparent evidence that 
death is not really present is the unchanged expression of 
the features and surface of the body. But this is, or should 
be, enough to call for active treatment, by rubbing and 
friction applied to the extremeties, and the region about 
the heart particularly. In this country fits of this nature 
have been caused by drinking freely of bad liquors, and 



EPILEPSY. 95 

the consequent weakening or impoverishing of the blood. 
It is sometimes complicated with such disease as epilepsy. 

There may, or may not be, any premonitory symptoms 
of an attack of this nature ; a person talking with another 
has been stopped in the middle of a sentence ; upon return 
to consciousness and speech, after the lapse of half an 
hour, he resumed the subject, beginning in the middle of 
the sentence, and just as though nothing had occurred. 

Thus it would seem that death by catalepsy is totally 
without pain, and its suddenness may terminate all the func- 
tions of life as really and effectually as appearances would 
indicate, but in the majority of cases such is not the fact, 
as instead of actual death temporary death only occurs ; 
but this, by mistake or lack of treatment, may be made 
permanent by burying the person or packing in ice. The 
only treatment in addition to that of rubbing, already indi- 
cated, is to administer to the patient when awaking resto- 
rative medicines, as wine or spirit, and allow a suitable 
diet, with proper amount of exercise, as well as giving ton- 
ics to strengthen the system. 

EPILEPSY. 

Epilepsy, or, as it is often called, " falling sickness," is a 
sudden loss of consciousness, upon which the patient falls 
prostrate, as though stunned by a blow, and usually falls for- 
ward upon the face, at the same time giving utterance to a 
sharp and agonized scream, which is most alarming to 
those who hear it. It occurs in paroxysms, which happen 
more frequently in the night than during the daytime ; in 
some instances it is hereditary. Both male and female 
are subject to the attacks, but statistics do not agree as to 
which sex suffers to the greatest extent. 

In event of the complaint becoming chronic, the patient 
will usually be able to foretell an attack, by the presence 
of symptoms, such as headache, dizziness, dimness of sight, 



96 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

or flashes of light passing before the eyes ; but the most 
common of all epileptic warnings is a singular sensation of 
cold or numbness, which commences at the extremity of a 
limb, and passes to the head, when the fit takes place. 

During the fit the eyes are fixed, the pupils dilated, the 
teeth gnashed together, by means of which action the 
tongue is often severely bitten, so that the foam which 
comes out of the mouth is mixed with blood ; the breathing 
is not only labored, but very irregular, and the thumbs 
are turned inwards towards the palms of the hands. 
Although the duration of a paroxysm is usually but a very 
few minutes, yet during that short time the convulsions of 
the limbs, distortion and livid color of the features are most 
alarming. As the convulsions pass away, the patient, in a 
majority of cases, falls into a deep, stupid sleep, from 
which, after a time, he arouses confused and exhausted, 
without the slightest recollection of anything that has 
taken place ; upon attempting to walk he will stagger, and 
the attack may leave him affected with a mania which 
renders him dangerous to himself or others. After one fit, 
others occur at irregular and uncertain times. 

The paroxysms last for so short a time, that unless the 
physician happens to be on the spot he seldom sees them. 
All that can be done for the patient during their continu- 
ance, is to try and prevent his injuring himself. For this 
purpose place the patient upon a bed, or upon the grass, 
and put a little roll of cloth (such as a handkerchief) 
between the teeth to protect the tongue, and loosen any 
article that may be tight about the person, such as collars, 
belts, or corsets. Free ventilation is necessary ; dp not 
attempt to restrain the convulsion by holding the person. 
It is not an uncommon event for elderly persons to be thus 
attacked while in church, in which case speedy recovery 
generally follows relief of the pressure about the waist, or 
the tightness caused by a collar. 



DELIRIUM TREMENS. 



97 



No epileptic should use spirituous liquors, eat to excess, 
or largely of very fat or rich food, or become greatly excited, 
or allow himself to be in positions from which there is 
danger by falling. 

With all the treatments that have been tried there ap- 
pears to be nothing that can be depended upon, in the 
majority of cases, as effectual. We read of a noted Euro- 
pean doctor who laid the cause to worms, asserting that 
"he had never had a post-mortem examination where epi- 
lepsy had caused death, without finding one or more tape- 
worms." We knew a physician who had fits from his 
youth, but cured himself, after suffering with them for 
nearly thirty years. His treatment was the use of sulphur, 
saltpetre, and charcoal, — the three articles used in making 
gunpowder. If there is a tape-worm, doses of salt are 
good, while the remedies advised in tape-worm treatment 
may be given, and the patient relieved of the worm. 

DELIRIUM TREMENS. 

This condition is the direct effect or result of the excess- 
ive and prolonged use of alcoholic drinks ; the stomach 
and brain are intensely stimulated, while the blood is de- 
ranged or poisoned. Those who have had any experience 
with persons in this condition are perfectly familiar with 
the symptoms, and all have heard how such patients were 
affected. 

The sufferer is possessed with the idea that he sees and 
is tormented by demons and snakes ; frightful dangers 
threaten him, and he continually appeals to those about 
him for aid to enable him to escape ; or he may go on 
lamenting his condition, calling upon his long-buried 
relatives or friends for help, or for forgiveness ; instantly 
following may come bursts of wild laughter, only to be as 
quickly succeeded by shuddering and shrinking from some 



98 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

imaginary devils or animals, and frantic appeals for protec- 
tion. 

Very many articles and methods have been used in the 
treatment of persons in this condition, but our main 
dependence has been long placed in bromide of potash, 
which we regard somewhat as a sheet-anchor remedy. 

Administer, dissolved in half a glass of water, sixty grams 
bromide of potash ; rub the neck and chest with spirit ; 
wet flannels with it, and place over the bowels, on the 
chest, thighs, and feet, and give drinks of hop, wormwood, 
yarrow, or camomile tea. If no spirit is at hand, steep worm- 
wood in vinegar, rub the neck and body with the decoc- 
tion; place bags of the wormwood at the feet, and change 
as often as they become cool. If the patient does not 
become quiet in an hour, give a further dose of thirty grains 
of bromide of potash ; and if this is not effectual at the end 
of half an hour, give thirty grains more. If the ravings 
are severe and difficult to quiet, a tablespoonful of spirit 
may be given in three of wormwood tea, though we prefer, 
if possible, to do without this, and have the spirit absorbed 
by external application. 

And just here we wish to say a word in regard to the 
quantity of bromide given at one dose. We are well 
aware that the regulation quantity dose varies from five to 
fifteen grains ; but in our treatment of patients affected 
with hysterics and delirium tremens, ive have repeatedly 
given the quantities above recommended zvitJi the most grati- 
fying results, and with no ill-effects remaining after such 
administration. We give below a brief synopsis of a few 
of the cases in which we have used it the most freely, hav- 
ing in some cases had almost a fight at the druggist's to 
secure the desired quantity ; and in one instance we took 
a dose of sixty grains in proof of our assertion. 

We attended a patient with the delirium tremens in 
Boston, gave sixty grains with the effect of partially quiet- 



DELIRIUM TREMENS. 99 

ing him ; gave forty grains more, when the man soon be- 
came perfectly quiet, bade us good-night, after which he 
slept quietly until morning. 

To a patient in Cambridge with the same trouble we 
gave sixty grains, and during the hour following forty 
grains more, with the effect of quieting and producing 
sleep. In the case of a patient in Boston, a woman with 
hysterics, and unmanageable, we gave forty grains, and 
forty minutes later thirty grains more ; she slept until 
morning, at which time she was able to take breakfast. 
While in Washington on business, in 1877, the landlord 
called us to see a lady in the house who had cramps and 
spasms, convulsions and hysterics, and who was uncon- 
trollable. After obtaining, with difficulty, at the drug 
store, the eighty grains we desired, we divided them into 
three powders, one of forty, and two of twenty grains each, 
and gave them during the following three hours. Obtain- 
ing a further quantity of sixty grains, after another argu- 
ment with the druggist, it was divided into four powders, 
and all of them taken before morning, at which time the 
patient was free from spasms and took some nourishment. 

In some cases delirium tremens may be cured by a shock 
of cold water. We know a delirious man who ran for the 
river to drown himself, and plunged in through the thin 
ice that covered it ; but no sooner was he wet with the 
ice-cold water, than he shouted lustily for help, and as soon 
as pulled out was as sane as anybody, and laughed heartily 
at the exploit. In recovering from this condition, all that is 
necessary is to remain quiet for a few days, until the brain 
and system become normal and equalized. Some physi- 
cians administer a glass of spirits, in which are put thirty 
drops of laudanum ; but we prefer to put double that quan- 
tity of laudanum into the spirit ; and use it in bathing the 
chest and neck, instead of using it internally. We are of 
the opinion that bathing the whole body with spirits and 
cold water would be beneficial. 



100 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

PALSY, OR PARALYSIS. 

This is a partial or complete loss of voluntary motion in 
a portion of the body, and is shown in a great variety of 
ways and degrees. An attack may be confined to the 
tongue alone, causing inability to speak plainly, or perhaps 
to speak at all, or it may affect one arm, one leg, one side, 
or the lower half of the body ; or it may affect one side of 
the face only, and thereby produce a most extraordinary 
and ludicrous appearance, as one-half of the countenance 
will be devoid of any expression whatever, perfectly dead 
and motionless, while the other half will display all the 
changes usually seen in the features of a person engaged 
in animated conversation. 

With elderly persons there is sometimes met a shaking 
palsy, the effect of which is shown by a continual nodding 
or tipping of the head from side to side. In itself paralysis 
may not scientifically be regarded as a disease, but as a 
result of a morbid or an abnormal nervous condition. 

An attack of this nature may unexpectedly make it's ap- 
pearance, or it may be preceded by a period of days, or 
even weeks, during which there has been sleepiness, a 
numb or giddy feeling, inability to recollect things, indis- 
tinct sight and utterance ; and very little hope can be 
entertained when the affected part is cold, appears to waste 
away, and there is a rapid loss of memory noticed, as well 
as of reason. 

It may be asserted that literary men are especially liable 
to this condition of the brain, as also are habitually heavy 
drinkers, or those whose habits keep the brain much ex- 
cited. As the cause may be in many cases traced to lead 
or mercury, those men who follow the business of plumb- 
ers, plating, and working in the manufacture of lead, are 
peculiarly exposed to danger from this source. 

The symptoms of an attack may consist of thick utter- 



PALSY, OR PARALYSIS. IOI 

ances, similar to those of. a person under the influence of 
liquor, loss of mind, or he may awake in the morning, and 
be unable to move an arm or perhaps a leg, and thus dis- 
cover that he has been seized even in his sleep. Although 
remedies may be resorted to and the malady treated with 
a certain degree of success, insomuch as to partially re- 
store motion to a helpless limb, or to render the speech 
plainer, still we have not yet seen a case of entire and com- 
plete recovery, nor one in which there was not, soon or 
late, a recurrence of the affection. It is an undoubted 
fact, that persons who have been stricken do, in many in- 
stances, live to old age ; but there will remain traces of the 
shock in such ways as a dragging of the foot, impaired con- 
trol of some part of the body, or a defect in the speech. 

In some cases a slight local difficulty may be benefited 
by a plaster applied directly over the place ; dry friction 
has, in some instances, proved valuable, rubbing the place 
vigorously with the hand or with cloths. Electricity has 
been used very many times, and with marked success ; but 
should no benefit be derived after a few applications, its 
use ought to be discontinued. When the patient has vio- 
lent twitchings of the face, mix a teaspoonful each of lauda- 
num, sulphuric ether, spirits of camphor, .tincture ginger, 
tincture capsicum, and one gill of whiskey or spirit ; dose, 
one teaspoonful in a cup of hop tea every two hours. Steam- 
ing the parts with a decoction of bitter herbs will some- 
times afford relief. When there is a paralyzed condition 
of the lower part of the trunk, stimulating remedies should 
be used, and for this purpose the following will serve to 
great advantage : — 

Cayenne pepper , . . 10 grains. 

Lobelia dessert spoonful. 

both in a pint of boiling water, and steep to get the 
strength ; sweeten with molasses, add half a pint of milk 



102 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

and one gill sweet oil ; give of this injections, as much as 
can be borne, say a gill ; to induce sleep give yarrow and 
camomile tea, use a hop pillow, and bathe the chest with 
hop tea. Sea-bathing and sea-air will be very beneficial. 

Paralysis may be of the nerves of motion, or of the 
nerves of sensation or feeling ; in one case the patient can 
feel, but not move ; and in the other, can move, but not 
feel. We have had cases of partial loss of feeling, and 
treated them with stimulating food, such as raw onions, 
mustard, cayenne, and horse raddish, eaten freely. Take 
before eating and retiring a teaspoonful of mustard seed ; 
keep the bowels regular, sponge the body with rum and 
cayenne pepper, and use the following liniment on the 
affected parts : — 

Hartshorn, or ammonia . . I ounce. 

Liquid camphor I " 

Tincture cayenne . i " 

Saltpetre . . . i " 

Alcohol 4 ounces 

Mix, and shake well. 

Although we have given above an outline of the symp- 
toms and general treatment usually adopted for this com- 
plaint, we would say to all, that our most emphatic advice 
is, when the disease first shows its symptoms, to employ 
the best physician that can be had, and put the case into 
his hands. 

There is no danger, however, in using the remedies 
above given, for a few days; in which case, if the patient 
improves under your treatment, there will be no need of 
calling a physician. 



NEURALGIA. 103 

NEURALGIA. 

This name is from two Greek words signifying pain and 
nerve, and the disease is a painful affection of the nerves ; 
when it is located about the face it is called tic-doloreux, 
or face ague ; when located in the great nerve of either 
leg it is called sciatica. That it is symptomatic is shown 
by the fact of its being often traced to some difficulty, 
such as decaying teeth. Its presence is shown by violent, 
darting, shooting pains, which come on in paroxysms (or 
by spells), which, except in very severe cases, are not at- 
tended by any inflammation or external swelling. There is 
no constitutional disarrangement, except such as might be 
occasioned by the extreme suffering and loss of sleep and 
rest, naturally to be looked for, during the time the disease 
lasts. 

Tenderness and swelling occur only when the pain has 
been frequent and severe, and which, in most cases, leaves 
the patient as suddenly as it came. Its coming and going 
with the absence of inflammatory symptoms are the particu- 
lar characteristics by which it can be distinguished from 
other affections. Among the causes tending to produce 
it, we may mention exposure to cold and dampness, and' 
acidity or alkaline condition of the stomach. The cause 
that brought on the disease must govern the treatment : 
if induced by decayed teeth, they must be removed or 
filled, so as to leave no exposed nerves ; if the patient is 
living in a damp location, he should select one where he 
will have the benefit of dry air. A generous diet may be 
given, but without excess. The best results have been 
obtained by giving bromide of potassa in twenty-grain 
doses, which may be taken in tea or water, say a table- 
spoonful every hour. The place may be bathed with a 
mixture of one ounce each of arnica tincture, tincture 
aconite, and sweet spirits of nitre ; wet a cloth with it, and 



104 0UR HOME DOCTOR. 

lay upon the face. When the pain is caused by decayed 
teeth or inflamed gums, the same liniment can be used. 

We would advise persons who may read these lines to 
use the above liniment for the cure of this disease, bathing 
the face and inhaling it from a cloth or sponge, until the 
desired insensibility is produced. This will afford relief, 
except in severe cases, which should be treated by a 
physician. 

RHEUMATISM 

Is pain, either with or without swelling, and may be either 
located or transitory ; it may be caused either by an excess 
of alkali or of acid in the system ; it commonly attacks 
people in the autumn or spring, seldom in the summer or 
winter, unless from sudden changes of weather, from warm 
to cold, or upon exposure to cold after great exertions. 
When located in the back it is called lumbago, and when 
in the hips, sciatica. In many cases it is hereditary, and 
may attack young persons at any or all times ; and while 
it may, upon its first appearance, be cured by some simple 
remedy, the next attack, as we have learned in our practice, 
will not yield to the same treatment. At one time the 
difficulty will give way to colchicum readily, and the suf- 
ferer thinks he has a specific, only to learn upon the next 
appearance of the complaint that a new remedy must be 
looked for. 

With lemons alone we have cured men who have been 
severely afflicted for four or six weeks : this was in cases 
where the system was impregnated with alkali. We 
ordered the patient to eat a third of a lemon before each 
meal, and another piece the same size before retiring. We 
have also cured cases of rheumatism of long standing by 
giving tartaric acid, fifteen grains before each meal, and 
the same quantity before going to bed ; and dissolving- 
forty grains of the same acid in a half pint of water, and 



RHEUMATISM. 105 

bathing the affected parts with the solution, night and 
morning ; and for six years there was no return of the 
complaint. 

Persons of plethoric habit, or regular drinkers, or per- 
sons who are working in mills, or in any business where 
they are exposed to dampness and moisture, are more 
liable to attacks of this nature than those of medium size, 
regular habits, and whose occupations are active. Some- 
times its presence is indicated by a stitch, upon making a 
certain movement of the body, or of a leg or an arm, but 
is not felt when the person is at rest or perfectly quiet ; at 
times the pain will last for several days, and be followed 
by swelling, which upon the application of a remedy dis- 
appears. In other cases, it shifts or moves about from one 
locality to 'another, in the most exasperating manner, 
showing that the seeds of the disease are there, and need- 
ing only some exciting cause for their development. The 
pain is more severe during the night than in the day, and 
either dry or moist heat may afford relief. If the affected 
part is hot and dry, sponge it with warm water, in which 
has been put a teaspoonful of soda, and if a bath-room is 
at hand, take a bath in water as hot as can be used, and 
into which some few tablespoonfuls of soda have been put ; 
upon coming out, rub the body briskly until dry, and a 
glow is upon the skin. 

We knew of a patient who was badly affected, in all 
parts of the body, in fact, who cured himself in one night 
by drinking heavily of gin and molasses in hot water, with 
the addition of a fourth of a teaspoonful of flour of sul- 
phur in each glass, and drinking so freely as to become 
thoroughly drunk. The next day his rheumatism had dis- 
appeared, and he was not again troubled with it for thirty 
years. 

We knew a merchant in Boston who had been afflicted 
many years with rheumatism ; had suffered many things 



I06 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

from physicians, and rather grew worse ; then learned to 
cure himself. His treatment was, take to his room, and 
eat onions, raw, and cooked in every known way. Three 
or four days' treatment cured him every time. 

A very good remedy can be made by mixing the follow- 



Flour of Sulphur i tablespoonful 

Cayenne Pepper 1-4 " " 

Saltpetre the size of a bean 

Mix in a teacupful of molasses, and take three times a day 
a teaspoonful, bathing the feet in hot water in the morn- 
ing and at evening, in which has been put a teaspoonful of 
soda or saleratus. If this does not relieve the pain in three 
days, eat lemons, and bathe the feet and part affected with 
acid water, lemon juice, or vinegar, hot or cold. 

In many cases the following will be found very benefi- 
cial : — 

Bromide of Potash 1-2 ounce 

Pulverized Extract Podophyllin 40 grains 

Cayenne Pepper 1 drachm 

Mix in a cup of molasses, and take a teaspoonful before 
eating and before retiring. Bathe the feet twice daily in 
hot water, in which put a teaspoonful of saltpetre. If re- 
lief should not be obtained in three or four days, prepare 
the following : — 

Flour of Sulphur 1 ounce 

Pulverized Guiacum . . . , 1-4 " 

Tartaric Acid 1-4 " 

Mix in a cup of molasses, and take a teaspoonful before 
eating, and one before retiring, and while following this 
course, bathe the feet twice a day in hot vinegar, with salt 
dissolved in it. 



INFLAMMATORY RHEUMATISM. 107 

And another preparation that has worked well in some 
cases is made thus : — 

Pulverized Extract Podophyllin 30 grains 

Extract Hyoscyamus 15 " 

Extract of Butternut 60 " 

Pulverized Ipecac 30 " 

Sulphate of Potash 60 " 

Mix and make into sixty pills ; of which take two when the 
stomach is empty ; and if no operation follows in ten hours, 
take another pill. 

A Spanish remedy for rheumatism and deep-seated 
pains is to apply a poultice, one-fourth or one-third of 
which is leaves of lobelia, pulverized and mixed in or 
spread on the surface. 



INFLAMMATORY RHEUMATISM. 

This form of rheumatism usually shows itself by pain 
and swelling at some one of the joints, while in other cases 
several of them may be attacked at the same time ; in 
some cases the complaint changes its location very fre- 
quently. In various instances, though very rarely, rheu- 
matism may strike inward, and affect the heart, in which 
case it will result fatally. One of the most plainly mani- 
fested symptoms of this complaint, is the acid sweats 
which escapes from the patient, causing a sour smell about 
the clothing and person ; the urine is high-colored, and 
there is a deposit in it resembling brick-dust ; in some in- 
stances there is a softness, or watery feeling, about the 
swelling, with red lines running from it ; afterwards there 
is a tenderness and fever, and the tongue is furred. In 
the most common forms of rheumatism, the fever is not so 
marked, and moderates with the improvement of the joints. 
Relief is sometimes obtained by bathing in hot water, in 



108 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

which is a little carbonate of soda ; but we place reliance 
upon the remedies used in rheumatism, — which see. We 
have known chronic inflammatory rheumatism to be cured 
by the application of rum and cold water, and taking every 
four hours a powder composed of twenty grains of bromide 
of potash, and fifteen grains of mandrake. 

We knew a Boston gentleman of strict integrity, who 
told us that, having had a siege for weeks of rheumatism, 
declared he would have one night of ease and rest by get- 
ting gloriously drunk. He sent a friend with a bottle for 
rum, gin, or whiskey, and before the messenger returned 
with the liquor all his sufferings left him in the twinkling 
of an eye. 

MERCURIAL RHEUMATISM. 

This is a form of the complaint most prevalent in the 
Southern and Western States of America, and where the 
disease has been treated with mercury, as in the old school. 
Whenever the weather changes, the patient who has been 
thus treated feels pains in all the joints of his body, which 
are almost as sensitive as a barometer. In treating this 
form of rheumatism, the object is to equalize the circula- 
tion around the parts affected, by means of heat or warmth, 
and this may be clone by a warm bath, or by bathing the 
places with hot fomentations, made by steeping the boughs 
or bark of juniper, spruce, or fir, in hot vinegar, and laying 
on flannels wrung out of the decoction ; put the feet into 
hot water, to which has been added a spoonful of saleratus ; 
make and take the following cathartic : — 

Mandrake 20 grains 

Rhubarb 10 " 

Bromide Potash 20 " 

Ipecac 5 " 

Mix and divide into two powders ; take one at night, and 
the other in the morning. • 



CRAMPS. 



IO9 



If the warm flannels do not give relief in a few hours, 
try laying on flannels wrung out in cold rum and water. 
We may here repeat what we have often said, as well as 
heard remarked by others : " That one mans remedy is 
not another s, and what will cure at one time, will not 
operate in the same manner, with the same patient > on another 
occasion y 

We knew of a case of chronic rheumatism which had 
been located in the ankles of an elderly lady for a number 
of years; she had used hot applications during this time, 
but unsuccessfully, and at last, in despair, tried cold water, 
the result of which was an immediate, as well as a per- 
manent, cure. We also know a lady, of delicate constitu- 
tion, who had suffered with neuralgia in one side of the 
head, and who, after in vain using warm applications, re- 
sorted to the cold, as in the above case, and with precisely 
the same result. 

If acute rheumatism is properly and promptly treated, it 
will not become chronic. We have known of several in- 
stances where this form of rheumatism (the acute) has 
been cured by a plunge into the snow or cold water. We 
cannot account for it, except by means of the shock given 
to the system. A sponge bath with cold rum and water, 
or a cold bath in a river or tub, is easily tried. 

CRAMPS. 

Painful contractions of the muscles, which impart to 
them a rigid or knotted feeling, are known as cramps. 
This affection is generally in the feet, legs, or arms ; writ- 
ers, musicians, or those who use the hands a great deal, 
and employ one set of muscles continuously, may be 
thus affected in the active part. Women are frequently 
troubled with cramps. 

It may be caused by bathing too freely during the warm 



IIO OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

season, or by bathing in water that is too cold, by damp 
clothing, damp bed-clothes, or by the feet becoming chilled 
at night upon removing the boots ; and indigestible food 
may be a cause. 

The first form of treatment adopted for cramp is usually 
vigorous friction ; rub the place with the hand or with 
warm flannels ; or a warm bath can be given with benefit.. 
For cramp in the stomach (which is a serious thing), lay 
upon the place cloths wrung out in a decoction made of 
hops or wormwood, in hot water or vinegar ; or wet cloths 
in spirit and water and lay them on. Also give drinks of 
ginger, brandy, peppermint, pain-killer, hot tea, or any hot 
drinks that will at once warm the stomach. The pain- 
killer, or red pepper, can be taken in hot water. Upon the 
system or affected part becoming thoroughly warmed, the 
cramps will disappear speedily. 

LOCKED JAW. 

This dreadful malady, which is in its nature similar to a 
fixed cramp in the affected part, is usually caused by 
wounds of a stabbing nature, such as running a nail, splin- 
ter, or sharp instrument into the flesh ; or by some injury 
which lacerates a muscle. It is a spasmodic contrac- 
tion or rigid condition of the muscles, and while it lasts 
the patient endures the greatest suffering, through all of 
which he is perfectly conscious. The premonitory symp- 
toms of locked jaw are pain along some muscle, a numb 
feeling or one of stiffness about the neck, and painful and 
difficult swallowing ; the muscles of the -face are soon 
severely affected, and draw the lips away from the teeth, 
thereby giving the sufferer a frightful, grinning appear- 
ance ; the jaws become closed, and remain so in spite of 
all attempts to open them. Unless the unfortunate person 
is speedily relieved, death will soon follow. Various treat- 



NIGHTMARE. Ill 

ments are recommended : by some, applications of cloths, 
wet with hot lye water; by others, half teaspoonful doses 
of laudanum. If the jaws are set together, a tooth or two 
must be removed in order to administer anything. Chloro- 
form and ether are, however, considered the most useful 
agents to employ, given by the direction of a physician, 
inhaled or taken into the stomach in sufficient quantity 
to quiet the spasm. We have been informed by respon- 
sible persons that whiskey, or strong drink, has been used 
in cases of this nature, and that a most liberal use of it for 
a few hours has wrought a cure. 



NIGHTMARE 

Always takes place when the sleep is uneasy or disturbed, 
and is a frightful sense of oppression or suffocation ; fear- 
ful dreams, in which the sleeper appears to be in the most 
alarming danger of shocking death, and can neither escape 
nor help himself, in spite of his utmost exertions ; he en- 
deavors to cry out, but succeeds in making only a loud 
groaning or moaning, which arouses some one, by whom he 
is awakened. 

There are several causes which produce this condition, 
such as eating late, or hearty suppers (and especially when 
fatigued), severe study, indigestion, or costiveness. The 
fact that it happens only when the person is sleeping upon 
his back, would indicate plainly that impeded circulation 
is intimately connected with the complaint. Persons have 
no doubt died during attacks of nightmare, and the cause 
of death been laid to apoplexy or heart disease. 

To avoid this trouble, let the subject of it endeavor by all 
means to sleep on the side. If late suppers or lunches are 
the cause, omit them ; do not allow the bowels to become 
constipated in this or in any other complaint. In any 
event, let the cause be sought, and, when ascertained, 
avoided. 



112 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

As a general rule, it may be well to have the patient or 
subject reduce the diet somewhat, and take more exercise. 
And in the diet let all foods of an indigestible nature be 
shunned. 

To prevent sleeping on the back, have a cloth belt, eight 
or ten inches wide, to button in front like waistbands of 
drawers, and on the back of which have securely fastened 
ten or more hard balls of cork or wood, an inch and a half 
or two inches in diameter ; these can be placed an inch 
and a half apart, and by making two holes through each 
one, they can be tied with twine to the belt. The sleeper 
can be on either side, and have no inconvenience from the 
cloth belt ; but, if he turns on his back, the balls serve as 
a gentle reminder. 

SLEEPLESSNESS. 

There are many persons who, after retiring, are for a 
long time unable to go to sleep ; they roll and toss about 
for perhaps hours. To prevent this condition, take a 
rough, dry towel, just before retiring, and rub the face, 
neck, chest, and arms vigorously ; or rub with a damp 
towel, and then dry. If much troubled, wet a towel in 
water in which hops have been steeped, and rub with 
that. This rubbing will serve to equalize the circulation,, 
by drawing the blood from the head, and out upon the 
surface. 

Do not use strong tea or coffee at supper, nor eat too 
heartily ; and if any habit is thought to be injurious, cease 
to indulge it. We do not advise medicine of any sort to 
induce sleep under these circumstances, as a habit of this 
sort once formed is difficult to overcome. Make a change 
in the habits usually adopted, such as taking a little fresh 
air before bedtime ; this will often accomplish the desired 
effect. 



FAINTING, OR SWOONING. 113 

FAINTING, OR SWOONING. 

This is the apparent cessation of the pulse and breath- 
ing ; the subject lies motionless and without any of the 
ordinary signs of life ; the face has a deathlike paleness, 
the hands and feet are cold, the eyes are closed, and the 
body limp. When recovery commences, the patient 
breathes deeply, as though the lungs had been entirely 
empty of air. This condition may be brought about by loss 
of blood, excitement, heat, fright, great pain, or weakness. 

The first remedy for the fainting state, is to lay the 
patient flat upon the bed or elsewhere, place the head a 
little lower than the body. In this position the current of 
blood toward the head is not impeded by the force of 
gravitation, as would be the case were the head raised ; 
remove from the person anything that may be close or 
tight, such as boots, collar, belt, or corsets ; sprinkle the 
hands and face with cold water, and let cologne or ammonia 
be held near the nostrils ; let the patient have plenty of 
fresh air, and rub the hands and limbs briskly. Recovery 
will be hastened by placing the feet in hot water, and by 
rubbing the stomach with warm water, to which has been 
added a little red pepper. While recovering, a little stimu- 
lant, such as brandy in hot water, will be beneficial. 

Those who are subject to fainting should especially 
avoid crowded rooms and halls, where the air becomes 
unfit for breathing, and injurious even to well persons. 

It is advisable for those who are liable to attacks of this 
nature, to carry about their person a small bottle (say two 
ounces) containing the following mixture : — 

Tincture ginger 1 ounce 

Paregoric 2 drachms 

Tincture peppermint 1-2 ounce. 

" cayenne 1 drachm 

Carbonate potash 20 grains 



114 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

Dose, a teaspoonful when the symptoms of fainting 
come on ; a teaspoon or some small measure may be 
wrapped up with the bottle. 

ST. VITUS'S DANCE. 

This is partial paralysis of the nerves, caused by confine- 
ment, severe exercise or labor, and usually affecting young 
persons before the age of puberty. Sydenham, who has 
closely investigated the subject, says, that " the disease is 
first shown in an unsteadiness of the walk, dragging one 
leg after the other, the hand is unsteady, and if an attempt 
is made to pass food or drink to the mouth, many curves 
and motions are made before it reaches there." The 
bowels and stomach are often deranged. An emetic will 
clear the stomach, and should then be followed by an 
active cathartic. We have laid the cause in many cases to 
worms, and several cases are reported in which by the 
removal of worms a cure was at once effected. It may be 
tape-worm — the large stomach worm, the hair worm, 
thread worm, or the invisible little animalcule which in- 
habits the lowest portion of the intestine. 

The treatment advised is to leave books and excitement ; 
partake largely of vegetable food, take out-of-doors exer- 
cise and play, go into the country, bathe daily with tepid 
water, using it cooler from day to day. If meat is eaten 
let it be fresh. A good nervine can be made of — 

Scullcap i ounce 

Valerian I " 

in a quart of water. Dose, a teaspoonful three times a day. 
If it is believed to be the effect of worms, treatment for 
their removal can be used. 
See treatment for worms. 



HYDROPHOBIA. II5 



HYDROPHOBIA. 

This malady is as unnatural as cow-pox or delirium tre- 
mens, being the result of a poison introduced into the 
system by the bite of a reptile, dog, cat, or other animal, 
which is by nature poisonous, or has been biten by some 
rabid animal. It was thought by the ancients to be infec- 
tious and contagious ; communicated by contact and inha- 
lation, but experiments and tests disproved that theory. 
The treatment and remedies have long been discussed by 
physicians who claim to be in possession of the " divine 
art of healing, or revelation from the gods ; " but, alas, for 
the revelations ; for during six thousand years, they have 
made few discoveries, not to speak of their revelations, 
until we come to Hippocrates, about four hundred years 
before the Christian era. He made more discoveries and. 
greater progress in the knowledge of physiology, medicine, 
and practice upon the human system than all who lived 
before him ; and excepting Galen, Cullen, Aristotle, and a 
few others of the earlier school, little, and very little, has 
been discovered since. 

Although many remedies have been brought forward,, 
experience has not sanctioned them as reliable. 

In the Eastern countries, it is asserted that snake-bites 
are cured by drinking freely of hot punch, or spirit and 
water, with twenty drops of ammonia in each drink, coupled 
with hard exercise for six or eight hours, to induce sweat- 
ing. The fact that sweating was a means of salvation 
of life in such cases was discovered in the following 
way : Some friends of a man who had been bitten, in 
order to save him from the agonies, and his relatives the 
distress of seeing him pass through such horrible suffer- 
ings, which all deemed inevitable, endeavored to smother 
him between two feather-beds. The raving man struggled 



lib OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

violently for a long time, sweating profusely, as also did 
his friendly extinguishers, and finally he begged for release, 
vowing himself cured and well. They desisted and found 
such to be the fact. 

Cat Poison. — We have been informed of, and read 
about, cases in which death was caused by the bite and 
scratch of cats, not known to be mad, except in the sense 
of being cross at a child when driven about a room, 
whereon the cat in anger bit the child in the leg or hand. 
These bites have been followed by swelling, which in a few 
hours turned blue, and resulted in death at the end of 
several days. 

Cat Scratch. — We know of a case where a little girl 
(the mother told us) was scratched on the leg by a cat 
while at play ; the scratch became inflamed, swelled fright- 
fully, the skin burst and turned black, resulting in the 
death of the child, but the usual symptoms of hydrophobia 
were not present. The doctor did not know what to do, 
but adopted poultices. Such instances only serve as terri- 
ble warning to mothers not to allow children to play with, 
or certainly not to tease, cats or dogs. 

From the foregoing we would advise an eclectic treat- 
ment, as bathing with warm water or vinegar ; or poul- 
ticing with tobacco in the poultice, and renewing as often 
as four times a day, injecting half a grain of sulphate of 
morphia under the skin every two hours, taking twenty 
drops of hartshorn and one-quarter teaspoonful sulphur in 
a hot drink of spirit every half hour, if it does not intoxi- 
cate, and continuing for six or eight hours ; then taking an 
active cathartic, such as powdered mandrake twenty grains, 
jalap ten grains, ipecac five grains, mixed in molasses. Get 
a physician as soon as you can. 

In rural districts, upon the appearance of hydrophobia, 
after the bite of any animal, and neither doctors nor 
medicines are at hand, we would advise the following until 



DIPHTHERIA, PUTRID SORE THROAT. I I / 

aid arrives : Squeeze out all the blood, and wash with 
warm vinegar : put on poultices partly of tobacco, and eat 
onions, raw and cooked, with horse radish, mustard, and 
cayenne pepper ; drink freely of spirituous liquors in hot 
water, with flour of sulphur added to them. In fact, get 
half intoxicated, and keep up sweating for some hours by 
violent and continued exercise. One man cured his patient 
by giving him half a pint of vinegar before each meal, and 
before retiring at night. 



DIPHTHERIA, PUTRID SORE THROAT. 

This is one of the most serious of all the throat difficul- 
ties, if not the most so. It has been described and treated 
in various parts of the world as an epidemic, but has rarely 
occurred of late years in this country as such, having been 
more or less common, and those with the afflicted being 
often seized with it. In a majority of cases the seat of the 
disease is the fauces, one or both of the tonsils being 
affected. The false membrane (the word diphtheria signi- 
fies false membrane) which forms over the entire back 
part of the mouth and throat may be prevented, in the 
early stages of the disease, by gargling frequently with 
chlorate of potash, flour of sulphur, and cayenne pepper ; but 
after its formation it may be removed with forceps, or if 
left to nature will be thrown off. The time of its coming 
off varies from four to twenty-one clays. This disease 
sometimes extends to the nose, eyes, and down along the 
aesophagus to the stomach. A more serious extension is 
that into the larynx and windpipe, and then it assumes the 
character of croup. The breath is often fetid. 

Many who have devoted much time and study to this 
affection depend a great deal upon local treatment, believ- 
ing that the system becomes infected by absorption, and 
the disease thereby extended. As far as we can judge for 



I 1 8 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

domestic practice, gargles and lotions can be used with 
advantage and good effect, with greater safety than any 
other method. The following may be made and used as 
gargles, spitting out of the mouth after using : Twenty-five 
grains of sulphate of copper, or of chlorate of potash, or 
of sulphate of zinc in a wine-glass full of water, or thirty 
drops of creosote or carbolic acid in same quantity of 
water ; dose for a gargle, a teaspoonful. A mild astringent 
is made by using a teaspoonful of glycerine, ten grains 
tannin, in a half teacupful of water. Another good gargle 
is made of — 

Carbonate soda 1-2 teaspoonful 

Lac sulphur 1-2 " 

Cayenne pepper 1-4 " 

in half a cupful of water ; teaspoonful for a gargle. In 
rural districts for putrid sore throat make a gargle of half 
a teacupful of whiskey, rum, or reduced alcohol, and a 
strong tea of oak, black cherry, or poplar bark, with one- 
quarter teaspoonful red pepper ; also cut a thin slice of 
bacon or ham to reach from ear to ear, cover it with 
petroleum or kerosene, on which sprinkle cayenne pepper 
and bind it on the throat : give fifteen drops of petroleum 
internally, in mint water, every fifteen minutes. Another 
remedy found by some practitioners to be of great service is 
a mixture of wood-ashes and salt, with red pepper. Make 
it of the consistency for a poultice, spread on a double 
flannel, and bind around the neck warm, and renew every 
hour ; place a piece of muslin on the poultice to prevent 
its coming in direct contact with the flesh. 



QUINSY. 119 

QUINSY. 

This complaint, usually called inflammatory sore throat, 
is an inflammation of the tonsils and mucous lining of the 
throat, and is most prevalent in the autumn and spring. 
Several attacks predispose a person to it. It may be caused 
by acrid food or such as stimulates the fauces, by exposing 
the neck when the person is warm, or by going into the 
open air after speaking for some time in a large, warm 
room. The disease is ushered in by a tightness in the 
throat, a difficulty in swallowing, and one or both of the 
tonsils being enlarged and inflamed. 

The object of treatment is to scatter and reduce the 
inflammation before it advances towards suppuration ; in 
which direction it has a tendency, and in which case a 
very unfavorable result may be looked for. Give an emetic 
of a teaspoonful of mustard, and half as much salt in warm 
water ; use a strong gargle, made of vinegar, red pepper, 
and borax, and use this often. See that the bowels are 
open. Tying around the neck a thin slice of pork, on 
which black pepper has been freely sprinkled, is very 
effectual in some cases. A poultice about the neck of 
boiled or roasted onions, sprinkled with pepper, often pro- 
duces satisfactory results. They should be renewed every 
four hours, or upon becoming dry. Inhaling strong decoc- 
tions of wormwood or bitter herbs is good. 

The patient may drink freely of gum-arabic water and 
flaxseed tea, and may with benefit eat all the onions wanted. 

An excellent preventive of this, and, in fact, any ailment 
of the throat, and which we would advise, is bathing or 
showering the neck and chest with cold water morning and 
evening. Many render themselves liable to throat diffi- 
culties by keeping the neck tied or wrapped up, and in this 
manner making it so tender and sensitive to cold that they 
are affected by the slightest exposure. We know of many 



120 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

persons who, after such practice, have thrown away the 
wraps gradually, and by accustoming the neck to cold, and 
bathing in cold water, have got rid of that tendency. 

SORE THROAT. 

This arises from a variety of causes, in much the same 
manner as cold, quinsy, and laryngitis, and the same treat- 
ment is applicable ; in the early stage of the disease, a light 
emetic of half teaspoonful of salt and a teaspoonful of mus- 
tard in a cupful of warm water will be of advantage. 

The nurse's remedy is to pin the stocking about the neck 
before retiring, and to give drinks of cold water and 
molasses. This is simple, convenient, and safe, but we 
would prefer a strip of flannel, wet with vinegar and cay- 
enne, and pinned about the throat, hot as can be used. 
Cayenne and vinegar added to the drink of water and 
molasses will tend to start the perspiration and equalize 
the circulation. In severe cases, where the fauces and 
tonsils are inflamed, a thin slice of pork or bacon, three or 
four inches wide and eight in length, and thickly sprinkled 
with black pepper, may be fastened on under the flannel 
and bound closely to the throat ; th-e bowels must be kept 
open with salts and senna, the feet bathed in hot water, in 
which has been put a teaspoonful of mustard, and use the 
following : — 

'Half pint of sage and gold-thread tea (strong), in which 
steep for an hour one-fourth teaspoonful cayenne pepper; 
add chlorate of potash one drachm, and one tablespoonful 
honey ; dose, teaspoonful every hour. 



COUGHS. 121 



COUGHS. 



Coughs are the results of cold, damp weather, inhalation 
of powder, vapor, gas from chemicals, exposure to drafts of 
air when sitting in warm rooms, speaking in close halls or 
rooms, and then going out into the night air, and, in some 
cases, they are inherited from parents or grand-parents ; in 
other cases they result from affections of some one or 
more organs of the body ; and the chronic cough is the 
sympathetic outcome ; in some instances it is impossible to 
tell how a cold was taken, whether from a warm room, 
changing bed, room, clothing, or changes of weather. We 
have had all the symptoms of cold after putting on thicker 
underclothing, and we are led to question if it is cold or 
only an irritation of the skin which concentrates upon the 
throat and bronchial tubes or lining membrane, usually 
affected at such times. Cold makes a person feel languid, 
heavy, and indisposed to do any work or make any effort ; 
when a discharge commences from the nose or the throat 
the head feels relieved. 

Let the patient inhale mint tea, hot vinegar, and cay- 
enne ; should the cold move downward to the lungs, use 
the same inhalations and gargles of vinegar, cayenne, and 
molasses ; if the uvula is affected and hangs down, so as 
to produce a tickling, use every little while a gargle com- 
posed of vinegar, salt or sugar, and pepper. The following 
is a simple as well as an excellent remedy for a cough : — 

Break an Qgg, shell and all, in half a teacupful of sharp 
vinegar, and allow it to stand over-night ; then take out 
the lining membrane of the Qgg, the shell having been dis- 
solved by that time, and mix this liquid with a cupful of 
molasses, a piece of butter as large as a thimble, and grate 
in fine half a nutmeg ; simmer all together for an hour ; 
dose, one teaspoonful when the cough is troublesome. 

Or, for a chronic cough, use the following : — 



122 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

Water „ I teacupful 

Cayenne pepper 1-2 teaspoonful 

Tobacco size of a bean 

Steep together for half an hour, strain, then add — 

Sweet oil . • 1 ounce (2 tablespoonfuls) 

Molasses ...... 1 cupful 

Vinegar 1-2 " 

Steep for half an hour, and add balsam tolu, one ounce, or, 
in place of it, a teaspoonful powdered slippery-elm bark ; 
dose, one teaspoonful when required. 

The following: is an excellent mixture for chronic 
coughs : — 



l o 



Syrup of balsam tolu 2 ounces 

Iodide of potassa 20 grains 

Tar water 4 drachms 

Tincture of anise 1 drachm 

Sulphate of morphia 1 grain 

Dose, one-half a teaspoonful, as required. 



MUMPS, 

Or parotitis, as it is called, is an inflammation of the parotid 
glands, and is almost wholly confined to children. Boys are 
more subject to it than girls ; it is contagious, sometimes 
prevailing as an epidemic, but attacking the same person 
once only. This complaint, though painful, is a simple 
one, unless it should be allowed to extend as far as the 
brain ; should the patient (a male) take cold it may settle 
in the genital organs, and make the case serious. In 
case of the testicles swelling, the result of cold settling 
there, apply slippery r -elm poultices, with leaves of lobelia, 
finely bruised and softened by hot water, and laid on, the 
poultice to be next the skin ; place a piece of thin muslin 
over it to prevent its sticking to the skin ; the poultice 



WHOOPING COUGH. I 23 

should be as warm as can be endured, and renewed every 
hour. If it causes nausea and vomiting put on less lobelia. 
The symptoms of this disease are swelling (attended with 
pain) of the parotid gland, which is directly under the ear, 
sometimes on both sides of the face or neck ; frequently 
there are slight chills, the breathing may be affected, and 
swallowing, as well as eating, difficult, exciting anger. 
The only treatment required is to use laxative medicines 
to keep the bowels open, and warm drinks to start the per- 
spiration ; apply around the neck flannels dipped in hot 
water, to which has been added a little laudanum, poppy 
leaves, or hops. In severe cases use a poultice of slippery 
elm and milk. With a little care and attention the com- 
plaint will usually run its course in about one week. 

WHOOPING COUGH. 

This is a disease of childhood, and though grown persons 
are liable to be attacked, they very seldom are. This is 
accounted for by the fact that the same person is rarely, if 
ever, affected a second time, and although adults may be 
susceptible when they have never experienced it, there are 
very few of this class, most persons having been affected 
with it when children. Nearly all are acquainted with the 
symptoms, which at first appear, like those of catarrh, with 
a running at the nose ; and following this stage which may 
continue for ten or fifteen days, there commences the cough, 
which gives sure indication of the presence of this disease. 
This may be described as a spasm, during which the per- 
son coughs a number of times in quick succession (perhaps 
from half a dozen to fifteen or twenty times), without being 
able to draw any breath ; but at the end of the spasm of 
coughing there is drawn a long and deep breath, which 
makes, while passing in through the glottis, a whooping or 
crowing noise, from which the disease takes its name. An- 



124 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

other spasm of coughing takes place only to be immedi- 
ately followed by the deep and sounding breath as before ; 
this continues for a short time, until the child vomits, or 
is relieved by ejecting from the mouth a matter resembling 
the white of an Qgg ; during the spasm the patient, from 
the violence of the action, becomes livid in the face, and 
will grasp anything within reach, as though for support ; 
but with the vomiting comes relief, until the occurrence of 
a succeeding attack. A peculiarity is, that sometimes the 
person will seem perfectly well during the intervals be- 
tween the paroxysms. The disease will run its course, 
requiring ordinarily five or six weeks, and it may not dis- 
appear for three months, and passes gradually away, while 
the patient coughs less and less, as though more from the 
force of habit than from necessity ; and even after re- 
covering there is left a tendency to cough, which appears 
to be developed upon any slight occasion, as for instance, 
taking cold. It usually disappears as cold weather comes 
on. This complaint is very contagious, and is most easily 
and readily spread among children, from the fact that it 
may be communicated by the little patient before he is 
known to be affected. In itself it is not dangerous, but, in 
complication with other diseases, may become so ; and for 
this reason it must be carefully watched during its entire 
course, that any changes may be at once noticed. 

Of the many methods of treatment adopted, we here 
enumerate the following : — 

Honey or molasses I teaspoonful 

Quinine 1-2 grain 

Mix, and put a few drops upon the roots of the tongue, 
d have it dissolve slowlv. 



and have it dissolve slowly 



Honey or molasses 1 tablespoonful 

Burnt alum 1-2 teaspoonful 



CATARRH. 125 

Mix, apply every hour a few drops on the roots of the 
tongue, and have it dissolve slowly. 

Molasses or honey 1 tablespoonful 

Lemon juice or acetic acid, a teaspoonful 10 grains 

Mix and use as above (a few drops on the tongue). 

Mix ten drops of nitric acid in two ounces of water, made 
thick with sugar, or two tablespoonfuls honey or molasses ; 
use in same manner as the above mixtures. 

We prefer two ounces of honey, ten drops nitric acid, and 
one grain of morphia. Dose as above. 

Lobelia (powdered) 1 teaspoonful 

Bayberry bark (powdered) 1-2 " 

Skunk's cabbage 1-2 " 

Put them into a half pint of saffron tea ; steep for half an 
hour, strain, and sweeten with honey. When the spasm is 
severe, give a dessertspoonful of this every fifteen minutes 
and the effect will be vomiting and relief. 



CATARRH. 

The complaint has of late years become wonderfully 
prevalent, in fact to such an extent that there are many 
persons devoting their whole time and attention to its 
treatment. It is an inflammation or irritation of the 
mucous membrane which lines the nose and fauces back to 
the throat. If neglected it may extend up, over, and behind 
the eyebrows, and around to the ears ; it may also follow 
the bronchial tubes into the lungs, causing at first a slight 
tickling cough, but eventually a tight and severe one ; it 
will also follow the membrane of the oesophagus into the 
stomach, and extending the entire length of the intestines, 
will cause irregularity of the bowels, and in time may effect 
the kidneys and bladder. 



126 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

Catarrh is said to be caused by exposure to cold or 
dampness, or from drafts or cold air ; but we believe it to 
be in many instances caused by malaria carried in the 
air, for we took it in a warm day, while returning from a 
bath, in a pond of fresh water, and thousands of the citi- 
zens of Cambridge were affected within a few days with it. 

The symptoms consist of a cough, running at the nose, 
redness about the eyes, which may also be watery ; the 
appetite will in most cases be poor, the breath foul, and a 
hawking up of phlegm or mucus from the nasal cavity and 
fauces. When these signs are present the disease must be 
promptly treated, or it may become so firmly settled on 
the patient as to trouble him for life, or be very difficult of 
cure for a long period. 

Let the patient bathe his head, neck, and shoulders daily 
with warm water, and make the following gargle : One-half 
teaspoonful borax or of chlorate of potash in one-half pint of 
water ; use this frequently during the day, or make a snuff 
of one teaspoonful pulverized bloodroot, one teaspoonful 
of gum myrrh, white sugar eight teaspoonfuls, and thirty 
grains of gum camphor ; pulverize separately, then mix and 
use every hour or so, the same as ordinary snuff. 

INFLUENZA. 

This complaint prevails as an epidemic frequently, and 
consists of an inflammation of the mucous membrane of 
the nose, bronchia, and mouth. 

It comes on quickly, and is attended by signs of fever, 
coughing, sneezing, thirst, loss of appetite and of the 
senses of smelling, tasting, and hearing ; the sight also is 
more or less affected. The symptoms are those of a severe 
cold or catarrhal difficulty, this ailment being very similar 
to catarrh. This complaint was known in Italy and France 
first under the name of glanders. 



CROUP. 127 

The treatment should be similar to that adopted in cases 
of severe cold ; gargle the throat with vinegar, honey, and 
borax, or a tablespoonful honey and twenty grains chlorate 
of potash ; inhale vinegar, with cayenne pepper in it, or 
camphor which has been dissolved : warm drinks and warm 
fomentations around the throat are beneficial. 



CROUP. 

This is a disease common to children between three and 
seven years of age, generally prevailing in winter or 
spring. Those having once had it, are liable to other at- 
tacks ; that is, become more or less predisposed to it. The 
name is derived from the peculiar noise made by the act 
of breathing, and prompt treatment is needed. It may ap- 
pear suddenly, and without warning, in the night (at 
which time the symptoms are most marked), or it may be 
caused by checking the perspiratio^ by such means as 
changing the clothing. The symptoms are unmistakable, 
and soon show themselves, being a short, dry cough, a pe- 
culiar tone of voice, a harsh wheezing, or rattling noise in 
the throat, made by the child v/hen breathing during sleep. 
The curious crowing cough or noise peculiar to this dis- 
ease cannot be described, but once heard will be always 
remembered. The phlegm, or mucus, in the throat must 
be removed. 

Put the feet in hot water ; keep around the neck cloths 
wet with hot water, in which has been put a little mustard ; 
mix a teaspoonful of tincture of lobelia and bloodroot in 
equal quantities, and give an emetic of this, ten to thirty 
drops in a tablespoonful of warm water, every ten minutes 
until vomiting takes place. This will afford relief ; but no 
matter how thoroughly the child may seem to have got 
over the difficulty, he should be watched with the greatest 
care, and upon the return of any of the symptoms, must be 



128 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

promptly treated. Endeavor to produce a perspiration by 
giving warm drinks, having the patient inhale the steam 
from hops, steeped in vinegar, or a decoction of other 
herbs ; apply poultices of the same to the feet. The child 
should be kept in bed for a day or two after an attack, and 
the air in the room should be kept moist. See that the 
bowels are not costive, and that the little patient is not ex- 
posed to the cold after as well as during an attack. 

A remedy claimed to be very effective, and which is 
used in country localities, is a mixture of goose grease, or 
sweet oil, molasses, and child's urine, equal parts, and given 
warm. In many cases this has speedily succeeded in induc- 
ing vomiting, and giving relief to the patient, when numer- 
ous other remedies had been tried in vain. ' 



LARYNGITIS. 

This is an inflammation of the larynx or upper end of the 
windpipe, — what is commonly called the organ of speech. 
It is brought on by various causes, — such as speaking, or 
sitting in heated, crowded rooms, and while warm, or in a 
perspiration, going out into the cold, damp, night air, get- 
ting the feet wet,sleeping in cold or damp rooms, — and is 
most prevalent in cold weather. It is regarded a very 
hard disease to cure, especially as persons affected with it 
feel better at midday, and venture out, and are sure to pay 
the penalty at night. Many people think it an uncommon 
disease, requiring new and wonderful remedies for its treat- 
ment ; but plain, simple remedies continued, such as gargles 
of strong sage tea, vinegar, salt, or honey, and cayenne 
pepper, or a strong decoction of oak-bark, — say half a pint, 
in which put a tablespoonful of honey, and thirty grains of 
chlorate of potash, or half a pint of strong tea, in which 
put a tablespoonful of honey, and forty grains of borax, 
and half a teaspoonful of fine cayenne pepper. Gargle fre- 



THE TONGUE. 1 29 

quently. Rub the throat briskly night and morning with 
rum and cold water. When the disease does not yield to 
the above treatment, we would advise the application of a 
mustard paste on the throat, over the larynx, followed by 
a mild emetic of a teaspoonful of mustard, half a teaspoon- 
f ul of salt in warm water, followed by drinks of warm water, 
or molasses and water, chewing sage, and slowly swallow- 
ing the juice, and keeping the bowels freely open by Epsom 
salts. 

THE TONGUE. 

James wrote in his epistle about eighteen hundred years 
ago : " The tongue is a little member, and boasteth great 
things : no man can tame it ; it is an unruly evil." We 
assume that James and his leader (Paul) were both bache- 
lors, and wanted to tame woman's tongue. Paul wrote, " It 
is a shame for a woman to speak in meeting." We wonder 
he was not ashamed to have women in his meetings ; he 
wanted her to keep at home, keep her mouth, eyes, ears, 
doors, and blinds closed, have no will of her own, but be 
subject to her lord and master (her husband), and then he 
advised all men to keep away from women. Paul must 
have had the blues when he wrote those lines. 

We have known vast numbers of married men and 
women whose tongues were as tame as pet kittens. We 
think Paul got bravely over his dislike to the women ; for 
we read in another place that when he was about leaving 
them (his converts), " they all wept, and fell on his neck 
and kissed him ; sorrowing most of all at the words which 
he spake, that they should see his face no more." 

Why should any one wish to tame or bridle the tongue ? 
What would Paul have done, when he stood forth in Mars 
Hill, in the midst of those learned Athenians, with a bridled 
tongue ? 

Would he not in mental agony have exclaimed, Oh, for 



130 



OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



a thousand tongues wherewith to proclaim the wonders of 
their unknown God ! Although a little member, it cer- 
tainly boasts great things ; all the other members of the 
body are sensitive to joy, sorrow, pleasure, and pain ; but 
as to giving expression to their consciousness they are 
silent ; the eye, the ear, the nose, the touch, and taste, all 

Fig. 20. 








The Tongue, showing the three kinds of papillae — the conical, D : the whiplike, 
K, I ; the circumvallate or intrenched, H. L. ; E, F, G, nerves ; C, glottis. 

are keenly alive to surrounding objects ; but the little 
member, called the unruly evil, is the only one which can 
speak out in defence of all their wrongs. It is a mouth- 
piece, a printing-press, a newspaper, a library, a universal 
mail-carrier, a telephone, and a telegraph, the world over, 
for the whole family of deaf mutes ; and yet it is called an 



CONSUMPTION. 131 

untamable boaster. Who would be without it ? Who will 
not speak in its defence ? 

All the other members and parts of the body have two 
sets of nerves only, — the nerves of sensation and nerves of 
motion ; but the tongue is endowed with three sets of 
nerves ; those of sensation, motion, and taste. We are told 
about rolling a sweet morsel under our tongues ; not so : 
the taste is only upon the top of the tongue. 

THRUSH. 

An affection to which infants or young children are sub- 
ject, or it may sometimes happen that very old and feeble 
persons may have it. It makes its appearance as small 
white ulcers in the mouth, upon the tongue, gums, etc.; it 
lasts for a few days, and is apt to come again, and in some 
instances it is severe enough to produce great soreness. 
The patient has at the time of its presence indications of 
general disturbances, such as poor appetite, paleness, ner- 
vous and irritable feeling. 

Attend to the general health by using tonics, and 
regulate the bowels, and for this latter purpose let the 
mother of the young child chew small pieces of rhubarb, 
and let the saliva be swallowed ; afterwards the child's 
mouth should be washed several times daily with a solution 
of borax, honey, and gold-thread. Steep the latter in 
water, strain, and add the borax, then the honey. 

CONSUMPTION, 

So called, has been the cause of more deaths in America 
than any other known disease. There are several kinds of 
consumption, such as consumption of the lungs, the blood, 
the liver, stomach, bowels, and muscles ; but the term 
consumption ordinarily implies decay or wasting of the 



132 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

lungs, the blood, or both ; that of the lungs is pulmonary 
consumption ; that of the blood and muscles is marasmus. 
We will only speak of the last two mentioned, as the 
others are but secondary, or a result. Consumption either 
of the lungs, or of the blood, may be developed and prove 
fatal without any evidence of the presence of the other ; 
a patient may have hemorrhage from the lungs repeatedly, 
when the blood is good and abundant ; or may become 
pale, the blood wasted, and the patient die from want of 
nourishment and supply of blood, and the lungs give no 
evidence of wasting or hemorrhage. Consumption in 
many instances is induced by the maltreatment of other 
diseases. The indications and symptoms are hereditary in 
scrofulous persons, and lie dormant for many years ; later 
in life, from inflammation or other exciting cause, there are 
developed tubercles, which increase in size, and break into 
the bronchial tubes, and the discharge, with streaks of 
blood, is thrown up. The indications of hereditary con- 
sumption are long neck, prominent shoulders, narrow 
chest, weak voice, fair hair, and great sensitiveness. The 
symptoms of consumption are a short, dry cough, which 
after a few months becomes habitual, spitting a frothy 
mucus, which after a few months becomes tough and 
stringy, and at a later period becomes green, and slightly 
streaked with blood. Although the flesh is diminishing, 
the appetite remains good ; there are frequent fits of 
coughing during the night, with flushed face, although 
during the day it will be pale. The white of the eyes 
have a pearly whiteness. Hectic fever and night-sweats 
set in, and the flesh and strength fail rapidly, unless 
checked by simple treatment, diet, and exercise, as directed. 
There is no doubt about consumptives having recovered, 
after ulceration and hemorrhage from the lungs have taken 
place ; but it has been in those cases in which the system 
generally had strength and vitality to bring on a healthy 



CONSUMPTION. 133 

action of the breathing apparatus. Consumption has been 
called the king of diseases ; but we say, without fear of 
contradiction, that it is king of indiscretions ; as far from 
consumption as black is from white in many cases. Some 
are victims of gluttony, strong drink, tobacco, secret habits, 
over-work, over-study, unrequitted love, carelessness in 
dress, exposure in damp or night air, dancing, thin shoes, 
sexual indulgence, abortions, miscarriages, and premature 
childbirth ; although the above and other improprieties ter- 
minate in a running down or wasting of the vital powers, in 
many instances it is only another name for ruined constitu- 
tion from improprieties and dissipation. We read on many 
tombstones, " Died of consumption," and are reminded of 
that sarcastic pencilling on the cemetery post, " Here lies 
the dead and here the living lie." 

The practice of allopathic physicians formerly was to 
keep patients on starvation diet : half an allowance of thin 
gruel ; not a spoonful of water inside or out ; but instead 
of food and drink, pills of calomel, opium, and ipecacuanha. 
Thanks to the car of progress, they and others are ignored. 

Some Fishmonger, with a fertile brain, while straining 
fish-oil, conceived the idea that fish-oil (called cod liver), 
as medicine at a dollar a pint, was far better than lubricat- 
ing oil for wagon wheels at a dollar a gallon. It took 
with invalids, who grasp at a shadow ; the doctors endorsed 
the fraud by saying, " Well, its a new thing, let them try it ; 
it can do no harm." They soon learned that it must be 
disguised, as patients were obliged to hold their noses, and 
surround the vile, filthy stuff with whiskey to be able to 
swallow it, and follow it with another dose of whiskey to 
disguise the stomach. 

It is a well-known fact that spirits, used freely by invalids, 
especially those with lung difficulties, afford relief and 
prolong life. We often meet master-mariners who are 
hale and rugged, who took their first sea voyage on account 



134 0UR HOME DOCTOR. 

of hemorrhage from the lungs (said to be in consumption). 
The fact that fat meats, such as mutton, lamb, beef, and 
pork, are beneficial to the healthy, and to invalids, is well 
established. 

Baron Humboldt says, as the result of his researches, 
that those people who eat swine flesh freely are the most 
vigorous, active, and long-lived ; and our ancestors and 
their descendants for the past two centuries, as well as the 
lumbermen and their families in the Canadian dominion, 
draw supplies from their pork barrels two or three times a 
day, and are a healthy and long-lived class. 

When the symptoms of consumption are apparent, and 
the patient resides in the North, either by the sea-shore or 
in the country, a change of residence, food, air, and ex- 
ercise is very desirable, and a trip to Florida, or California, 
is advisable ; but if governed by limited means, go from 
the sea-shore into the country, or from the country to the 
salt water, and enjoy the change of surroundings as much 
as possible. Avoid extremes, damp drafts, night air, to- 
bacco, and excitement in heated rooms ; but embrace 
chances for riding, fishing, and excursions ; diet on fish, 
fruit, berries, vegetables, milk, cream, and fat meats ; 
sponge the whole body night and morning with alcohol, 
or rum, and water, with a little cayenne or mustard in it, 
and rub with a coarse towel until the skin is in a glow. 
Keep the bowels regular by eating brown bread, graham, 
and oat-meal, fruits, and vegetables, beets, parsnips, onions, 
and boiled cabbage. When exercising, do it in modera- 
tion, and not to excite or exhaust the system. If there is 
not a good chance to indulge in fishing, hunting, and pic- 
nicking, a little exercise on the farm or in the garden is 
good. 

When consumption is evidently seated, little good will 
be derived from a voyage or trip South, except in cases of 
hemorrhage from the lungs, when, if the body and other 



CONSUMPTION. 135 

organs are in a good condition, a voyage on the salt water 
or a trip South may restore the lungs and prolong life ; 
this we have witnessed frequently. Whether in the 
country or near the sea-shore, eat fresh fish, fat meats, 
drink milk warm from the cow, and cream with milk by 
the half pint, as often as the stomach will receive it with 
a relish ; an Qgg beaten with milk, whiskey, and sugar ; 
and, instead of cod liver oil, take a spoonful of olive 
(sweet) oil with a little whiskey and lemon juice. We 
have known of several cases of persons far gone in wast- 
ing of the body to rally and get well by eating rare beef- 
steak, drinking freely of whiskey, and walking from day to 
day as much as they were able to endure. 

(From an Apothecary.) 

Extract of butternut 1 ounce 

Extract of dandelion 1 " 

Sulphate of potash ........ 1 " 

Extract of henbane ........ 1-2 " 

Sulphate of quinine ........ 10 grains 

Extract of podophyllin .,, = ,,, 10 " 

Water ,...11-2 quarts 

Mix hot, and stir in honey, one pound ; alcohol, half a pint, 
or whiskey, one pint. Dose, a small tablespoonful before 
eating and retiring. 

(Made in the Country.) 

Butternut bark (green) 1 pound 

Black-cherry bark (green) 1 " 

Milkweed root (cotton pods) . , . . 1-2 " 

Blue cohosh (green) 1-2 " 

Yellow dock root (green) 1-2 " 

Thorough wort 1-4 " 

Cayenne pepper 1 teaspoonful 

Water 4 quarts 

Steep three hours and strain : add saleratus, one teaspoon- 



13^ OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

ful ; alcohol, one-half pint ; honey, one pound, or molasses, 
one pint. Dose, one tablespoonful before eating and re- 
tiring. 

(Made in the Country.) 
Scrape inner bark juniper baldspruce . . . 1-2 peck 
Spikenard root and dandelion root, each . . 1-2 pound 
Thoroughwort leaves and blood-root, each . 1-4 " 
Canada snake-root, and caraway, each . . 2 ounces 

Steep three hours in six quarts of water ; strain, and add 
honey, one and one-half pounds ; alcohol, one-half pint ; 
of whiskey, gin, or rum, .one pint ; one tablespoonful of 
soda or saleratus. Dose, half a wine-glass before eating 
and retiring. 

PNEUMONIA, OR INFLAMMATION OF THE 
LUNGS. 

This is caused by insufficient clothing and exposure to 
cold, leaving a warm room and going directly into the cold, 
the body thus being chilled, and more especially is this the 
case if the hands and feet are subject to cold. 

The symptoms are cold chills, or rigors in the back, fol- 
lowed by a sharp pain in the side, which extends upwards 
as far as the shoulder-blades, on either or both sides ; 
Hushed face, difficulty in breathing, dry cough, full and 
hard pulse. The pain is nearly always present, but wan- 
dering from side to side ; and any attempt to take a long 
and deep breath increases the pain experienced during the 
disease, so the patient, in order to avoid all possible suffer- 
ing, shortens his breathing, tries to prevent all coughing, 
and fears to lie down. Because of the sudden changes of 
our climate this disease is prevalent, and often fatal, dur- 
ing a period of five or six months, and after a mild attack 
the patient is left rather predisposed to further attacks. 

The treatment must be prompt and energetic. Put the 



PLEURISY. 137 

patient into bed, and bottles of hot water or heated flat- 
irons at his feet ; give hot drinks of tea made from pleurisy 
root, mint, saffron, or pennyroyal ; and if sweating is not 
profuse, put hot bricks, hot irons, or bottles filled with hot 
water along the patient's sides ; after the perspiration 
commences, continue the warm drinks, and have the sweat- 
ing last for six or eight hours, or until the pain in the 
head and back are gone, when the patient can be washed 
with warm water, rubbed dry, and have dry bed-clothes 
substituted for those already on. The bowels must be 
kept open by cooling laxatives, such as citrate of magnesia, 
or the compound made by mixing two ounces of Epsom 
salts, one ounce of senna, one ounce of manna, and half a 
teaspoonful of cayenne pepper in a pint of water, and steep- 
ing for half an hour; strain and bottle ; dose, half a wine- 
glassful three or four times a day, or let enough of it be 
taken to have the bowels operate every five or six hours. 

PLEURISY. 

When from any cause that thin membrane, called the 
pleura (which surrounds the lungs and lines the thorax or 
cavity containing the heart and lungs), becomes inflamed, 
there exists pleurisy or inflammation of the pleura ; this 
may be induced by a number of causes, such as going from 
heated rooms into the cold air, exposure to drafts or damp- 
ness, or using cold drinks when the person is warm. The 
disease is shown by a stitch in the side, or a pain in the 
back or chest ; this pain is increased upon drawing a long 
or deep breath ; there is a cough which the patient tries 
to suppress, because of the pain it causes, and as the dis- 
ease progresses this cough grows more troublesome, and is 
attended with some expectoration or spitting ; the pulse is 
quickened and hard ; there is thirst, chills, shivering, and 
pains in the region of the lungs. 



I38 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

Let the efforts be to establish a perspiration ; give a 
hot bath, put the feet and legs into hot water, and place 
upon the chest clothes wrung out in a quart of hot vinegar, 
with a teaspoonful each of mustard and cayenne pepper. 
An emetic of a teaspoonful of mustard and half as much salt 
can be used with good effect (mustard, salt, and warm 
water) ; put hot bricks at the feet, and give hot drinks of 
catnip and pleurisy-root teas. 

For pleurisy, inflammation of the lungs, catarrhal diffi- 
culties, etc., the pleurisy root is used, with the greatest 
success, to produce sweating and expectoration. We 
know of nothing so good for this purpose. It is common 
in this country, especially in the Southern parts, and can 
be had of the druggists ; either hot water or alcohol will 
extract the virtues, and a strong tea or decoction can be 
made, of which two or three dessert spoonfuls at a dose can 
be given four or five times a day, or until perspiration is 
induced. In place of this, mint or pennyroyal tea can be 
given. 

A vapor bath will be of great benefit ; this can be given 
by seating the patient in a chair with a blanket around him, 
and placing a pan of hot water under the chair, and putting 
either hot bricks or irons into the water to keep up the 
temperature, or replacing the dish by one with hotter water. 
A very effective sweating can thus be given, the mouth 
and nose being left open for breathing. But a perspiration 
should be started. See that the bowels are not constipated. 
The patient should continue treatment until all traces of 
the disease are gone ; until he can cough or draw a deep 
breath without any sensation of pain. 

If there should be any tendency to trouble in this direc- 
tion, the patient must be especially careful to avoid any and 
all exposure by which the lungs are liable to be affected. 



ASTHMA. I39 



ASTHMA. 

This is a bronchial difficulty that attacks males more 
frequently than females, more or less violently, usually 
spasmodically, and without warning during the sleeping 
hours. In some instances it may be possible to foretell an 
attack, and in such cases where the cause is, for instance, 
over-eating or indigestion, it can be warded off by dieting ; 
moisture or change of temperature may produce it ; the 
spasms may happen at regular or irregular intervals, and in 
some cases the attacks are hereditary. To a person not 
familiar with the disease, a patient with a severe attack 
seems to be dying, but such result is very rare, if, indeed, 
it ever happens. 

The symptoms are an oppressive tightness across the 
chest, which impedes the breathing, so that the patient 
starts to an erect position in bed, or flies to a window ; the 
breathing makes a wheezing or gasping sound, and it seems 
to the patient as though he could get no air into his lungs. 
Cold air affords relief ; there is also coughing ; the breath- 
ing, though labored, is not quickened. The attack may 
last a short time, or hang on for several days ; usually it 
passes off towards morning, only to return again at night 
or after a short time. The patient dislikes to do any talk- 
ing or to move ; there is an itching under the chin, and in 
humoral asthma a spitting up of mucus. 

In treating the spasms, what will cure one person may 
have no effect upon another. Inhaling the vapor of ether 
or chloroform will, in many cases, exert a beneficial effect 
in a short time ; smoking stramonium leaves or pas- 
ture mullein in a common pipe in the same manner as 
tobacco will be found to afford great relief ; or put some 
of the leaves into hot water, and inhale the vapor. The 
remedy of all, and which is pronounced as such by promi- 



I4O OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

nent physicians, is lobelia ; by some this is asserted to be 
a specific or sure cure. To a half pint of water, add a half 
cupful of the leaves ; steep for thirty minutes ; give a table- 
spoonful at a dose, till vomiting is induced, or relief ob- 
tained by the free spitting of mucus, which takes place. 
A dose of the tincture of lobelia for a grown person is two 
or three teaspoonfuls. Another remedy, which in many 
instances effects a speedy cure, is salt dissolved in alcohol, 
brandy, or spirit, and rubbed on the chest till it is in a 
glow. 

When this trouble is brought on by the locality in which 
a person lives, a change of residence is always desirable, 
and in many cases such has resulted in a complete cure. 
Changes of temperature should be avoided, and if possible 
wear flannel next the body constantly ; eat light nutricious 
diet, and avoid all coarse, indigestible food ; keep from 
dampness of all kinds. We would advise having a physi- 
cian present in all severe cases of this nature, to afford the 
relief which his experience will enable him to extend to 
the sufferer. All those who are subject to this complaint 
can lessen their liability to it, by avoiding everything which 
they believe has a tendency to provoke attacks of the 
kind. 

BRONCHITIS. 

This complaint is quite common in England, owing to 
the moisture of the atmosphere and frequent changes of 
weather. In cases of public speakers, it often becomes 
chronic, causing the person to remain for years an invalid, 
and finally terminating in death. In America, it is most 
common in New England and the Middle and Western 
States, but is seldom fatal ; when finally seated, or chronic, 
the voice becomes hoarse, husky, and feeble, and speaking 
audibly difficult. The premonitory symptoms are weak 
eyes, running at the nose, dullness, shivering, sneezing, 



PALPITATION OF THE HEART. I4I 

pain in the head, an irritation in the windpipe, causing 
frequent efforts to cough and raise, but in vain ; a tight 
sensation over the chest, hoarseness, with difficulty in 
breathing. After a few days the cough brings up a thin 
fluid, and as the fluid becomes thicker, the breathing is 
easier, and the pain is diminished. When the disease has 
been neglected, the quantity of mucus is increased, and the 
inability of the patient to remove it is evident ; the wheez- 
ing comes on, and the fact is clearly seen, that the disease 
has extended down into the bronchial tubes, and suffoca- 
tion may follow. 

The feet should be bathed in warm water ten or fifteen 
minutes, sip slowly flaxseed tea, barley water, rice water, 
gum arabic, slippery elm, etc. In severe cases warm poul- 
tices sprinkled with mustard may be applied to the throat 
and upper portion of the chest. A warm bath is desirable, 
a mild emetic of lobelia, or of a teaspoonful of mustard, 
and half as much salt, will bring up the bronchial phlegm, 
and lessen the tightness across the chest. Inhaling vapor 
of mint or bitter herbs, will afford relief. If the throat 
is sore, take thirty grains chlorate of potash in two table- 
spoonfuls of honey, and a quarter of a teaspoonful of 
cayenne, and sip it every few minutes. 

PALPITATION OF THE HEART. 

The symptoms of this disease are shortness of breath 
after exertions, a feeling of fatigue upon walking rapidly a 
short distance ; at times the feet swell, and a paleness about 
the mouth is visible, and occasionally distressing paroxysms 
of pain come on. If the person becomes much excited or 
undergoes any violent exertion or exercise, the pulsations 
are increased in rapidity and strength, and to bystanders 
are often audible ; and not only are they varied in strength 
and rapidity, but are very irregular, being full and quick 



142 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

for a minute, then at once becoming slow and measured; 
then it may appear as though a few beats were wholly lost 
or omitted, only to be instantly followed by the rushing 
speed as at first. 

This disease may be symptomatic, that is, occasioned by 
some other malady, such as dyspepsia, indigestion, or 
dropsy of the chest, or it may be primary, or located, and 
having its origin in the heart itself. In either case the 
subject may, by guarding himself carefully, live for years, 
although, where disease of the heart proper exists, the 
patient is liable at any time to drop dead in one of the 
attacks. Palpitation may be brought on by any cause that 
will impede or disturb the circulation ; it may continue 
for years, apparently without any serious injury, owing to 
the excitability of the heart, and not to a disease, as the 
following case will illustrate : — 

When the author was examining surgeon of volunteers 
for the City of Cambridge, during the late war with the 
South, one of the men presenting himself was found to 
have palpitation to an alarming extent, although of robust 
and healthy appearance. He was put through the several 
tests of running around the hall, etc., and we, as surgeon, 
were on the point of rejecting him, when he exclaimed, ex- 
citedly : " Doctor, you don't give me a fair trial; I can 
bring any number of our engine company who will testify 
to my endurance at a fire with the best of them." Some 
of the company being called in, indorsed what he had said, 
and he urged a further test. No test was feasible except 
to run around the hall three tunes with a man on his back 
(the distance around the hall once being about three hun- 
dred feet). After this trial, the pulsations were not more 
affected than they would have been in a healthy man. He 
then ran around three times more, carrying a man as before, 
with the same result, and we accepted him as an able- 
bodied soldier, in the belief that the more he ran the less 



JAUNDICE. 143 

the palpitation. In the "Journal of Health " was an article, 
giving an account of a lady who had suffered for years 
with this malady, on some occasions the attacks being so 
severe as to cause a shaking of the bed upon which she 
was lying. On one of these occurrences she asked for a 
drink of soda water, and upon drinking it the palpitations 
immediately stopped. When the next attack took place, 
the physician in attendance, wishing to investigate and 
learn which one thing it was that produced the desired 
effect, gave her a dose of citric acid, but without success ; 
some carbonate of soda was then administered, but ap- 
parently without any effect ; then mixing the two articles 
named, as having been given separately (and which formed 
soda water when together), he gave a dose with the effect 
of at once curing the palpitations. This remedy was 
always successfully used by the- lady in her attacks. From 
the experiments of the doctor, it would seem that carbonic 
acid gas was the curative agent. It may be asserted that 
primary heart disease never was cured ; all that science can 
do is to direct such methods of living as will afford relief. 
In every case of palpitation the patient must at all times 
use extreme caution, avoiding great excitement or exer- 
tion and over-eating ; beware of indigestion, constipation", 
and dyspepsia; do not retire with cold feet, and if subject 
to them adopt remedies for assisting the circulation, such 
as a hot brick, and thus preventing the extremities from 
being cold. By care, patients with this disease have been 
enabled to live many years. 



JAUNDICE 

This name is derived from a French word signifying 
yellow. The disease is caused by a superabundance or 
overflow of bile, which gets into the circulation and imparts 
a yellow color to the entire body, this appearance being 



144 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

plainly visible in the whites of the eyes, in the hands, 
and around the finger-nails ; the bowels are costive, and 
whatever passes them will be light colored, while the urine 
will be very high colored or of a saffron shade. A sleepy 
and listless feeling, such as is experienced when one is 
bilious, is not uncommon. In short, the indications of 
this complaint are plainly exhibited and unmistakable. 
The patient should take first, an emetic of lobelia or mus- 
tard, with warm water, and endeavor to clear or free the 
stomach thoroughly of its contents. After this has been 
accomplished, for the purpose of clearing the bowels a 
teaspoonful of pulverized mandrake root should be mixed 
with an equal quantity of cream tartar, and one-quarter 
teaspoonful cloves (to prevent griping), the whole mixed 
thoroughly, made into eight powders, one of which is to be 
taken in the morning, and one at evening, until a change 
in the color of the skin is noticed. When this is observed, 
let the powders be omitted, and half a wine-glassful of 
the following bitters be taken three times a day : — 

Yellow dock root I drachm 

Bitter root 2 " 

Inner bark of white poplar ....... 2 " 

Cayenne pepper 1 " 

Add one quart of boiling water, cover with a wet cloth to 
retain the steam, add half a pint of Holland gin. While 
taking this, the following will be beneficial to drink freely : 
dandelion root and barberry bark, half pound of each, put 
in an iron pot with a gallon of water ; simmer for two 
hours, strain, and use as a drink in the morning and after- 
noon. A raw egg beaten with a little cider, wine, or spirit 
can be taken before meals, occasionally, in place of the 
bitters, or when there is a desire for food between meals. 
Raw eggs in this complaint are very beneficial. The diet 
ought to be light, and devoid of fat and indigestible 
substances. 



DIGESTION. 



145 



DIGESTION, 

The process performed by the stomach and intestines 
when in a healthy condition. The first step in the opera- 
tion is the mastication or chewing the food thoroughly, in 
which process the saliva from the salivary glands in the 
throat is mixed with it, when it is passed into the stomach by 
swallowing. By watching the 
neck of a horse while drinking, 
we may see the operation of the 
oesophagus. The stomach is an 
enlarged portion of the alimen- 
tary canal ; it ordinarily holds 
about three pints, but is capable 
of considerable distension. In- 
ternally it is composed of a mu- 
cous membrane, from which is 
given out the digestive fluids ; 
an outer smooth serous mem- 
brane, and a strong muscular 
coat between them ; this last is 
composed of two layers of cir- 
cular and longitudinal fibres. 
By contracting, they produce a 
peculiar motion, or churning, 
called peristaltic movement, mix- 
ing the food perfectly. The 
structure of the intestines is 
similar to that of the stomach : 
they are divided into small and 
large, and are from twenty-five to 
twenty-eight feet long. Bile is secreted by the liver, the 
largest gland in the body, weighing about four pounds ; it is 
located on the right side, below the diaphragm. Its secre- 
tion of bile is estimated at three pounds daily. Its action 




STOMACH AND INTESTINES. 

1, stomach ; 2. duodenum ; 3, small 
intestines ; 4, termination of ileum ; 
5, caecum ; 6, vermiform appendix ; 
7, ascending colon ; 8, transverse 
colon; 9, descending colon; 10, sig- 
moid flexure of the colon ; 1 1, rectum ; 
12, spleen, a gland whose action is 
not understood. 



146 



OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



on the food is not definitely understood, but it is necessary 
to life. The absorbents or lymphatics of the stomach 
commence taking up sugar, albumen, and other substances 
from the food in it, and continue to do so during the whole 
length of the intestinal canal. The time required for 
digesting a full meal is from two and a half to four hours, 
according to the kind of food and condition of the stomach. 



Fiz. 




A section of the small intestine highly magnified, in which it is estimated that ten 
thousand of the lymphatics or absorbents are contained within a square inch. 1, cellular 
structure of epithelium or outer layer ; 2, a vein ; 3, fibrous layer ; 4, villi covered with 
epithelium: 5, a villus in section showing its lining with its blood vessels and lym- 
phatics ; 6, a villus partially uncovered ; 7, a villus stripped of its epithelium ; 8, lacteals 
or lymphatics; 9, orifices of the glands; 10, it, 12, glands; 13, capillaries around 
the orifices of the glands. 

When we consider the nicely arranged and varied opera- 
tions in digestion, and take into account the irregularities 
and faults of omission and commission of mankind, the 
wonder is that all are not dyspeptic. 

In 1822 a Canadian named Alexis St. Martin, in the 
American Fur Company, was shot in the left side. After 
two years the wound was entirely healed, leaving an open- 



DYSPEPSIA, INDIGESTION. 1 47 

ing in the stomach two and a half inches in circumference. 
For several years he was under the care of Dr. Beaumont, 
a skilful physician, who experimented upon him by giving 
various kinds of food, and watching their digestion through 
that opening. By means of these observations, and others 
performed on Katharine Kutt, a woman who had a similar 
aperture in the stomach, we have very important informa- 
tion upon the digestibility of various kinds of food. 

The question has often been asked, why the stomach 
itself is not digested by the gastric juice, as it belongs to 
the albuminous substances ? One reason assigned has 
been, that life protects that organ, and that living tissues 
are not digestible. The fallacy of this theory was showns 
by introducing into an opening in a dog's stomach the leg 
of live frogs and ears of rabbits ; they were readily digested. 
The later opinion is that the blood, which circulates freely 
through the lining of the stomach, being alkaline, protects 
the tissues from the gastric juice. Our theory in regard to 
this, and many of the mysterious operations of the human 
body, is — God knows ; we do not. 

DYSPEPSIA, — INDIGESTION, 

A state of the stomach in which the functions are dis- 
turbed, without the presence of other diseases, or if others 
are present they are of minor importance. Its symptoms 
are loss of appetite, nausea, heartburn, a sense of fulness, 
weight, or distress in the stomach, etc. It is often caused 
by irregularity of living. In the days of our fathers, when 
brown bread, crust and pea coffee, pea and bean porridge, 
thick boots and shoes, and homespun clothing were in use, 
and work for both man and woman was the order of the 
day all the year round, indigestion or dyspepsia was un- 
known. But the days of fashionable living came, and with 
them tea, coffee, wine, beer, hot bread, mince pies, eating 



148 



OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



many kinds and often, and, worse than all, eating in great 
haste, brought in their train dyspepsia. While in Boston, 
in 1835, we knew young men who would come to the table 
and eat all the courses of a common dinner, and start off 
with a piece of pie in hand inside of five minutes. It 
seemed as though each was trying to eat in a shorter time 
than his neighbor. 

Meeting some of these young men twenty-five or thirty 
years afterwards, looking haggard, bent, and showing 
plainly the marks of impaired constitution, we inquired 
for the cause : the reply was, " Dyspepsia ; been dying of 
it for years. " 

Eating either one or many varieties of food hastily is 

contrary to nature : our 
teeth were given for use, 
and the salivary glands 
give out saliva as it is 
required by nature to 
mix with the food ; but 
if food is rushed into 
the stomach without 
mastication, the penalty 
is sure to follow, and not 
only to follow, but fasten 
itself upon the injudi- 
his 




THE PAROTID, 

One of the salivary glands in the throat, which cioilS victim and 
gives out saliva as the jaws are worked, and min 
gles with the food. 



children. 

We knew several dyspeptics who could not, and would 
not, regard the proprieties of eating, but would take down 
in haste large allowances of every kind of food on the 
table, and soon after walk the room or roll upon the sofa 
in agony worse than a thousand deaths. We think we can 
see in the children of confirmed dyspeptics evidence of 
their ancestry, confirming the truth of that part of the 
commandment, " visiting the sins of the fathers upon the 



DYSPEPSIA, INDIGESTION. I49 

children unto the third and fourth generations in them that 
hate me " (or break my commandment). Nature often 
punishes the innocent. 

Indigestion is largely among men in Europe and America 
who use calomel and tobacco, and the man who eats with- 
out mixing the saliva with his food, and then chews and 
smokes tobacco and spits out the saliva, may expect, and 
will find, Dame Nature's infliction. When we look for the 
symptoms of dyspepsia, or rather the infliction resulting 
from it, we find headache, liver, lung, and kidney difficul- 
ties, with their numerous offsprings, rheumatism, gout, 
neuralgia, toothache, earache, sore eyes, deafness, loss of 
hair, taste, sight, and feeling ; these destroy the stomach, 
which, next to the heart, the chronometer stands pilot or 
sentinel over the entire body and its functions. 

The treatment is common sense and moderation. Throw 
away medicines and stop eating — no ! stop bolting and 
gorging. Eat less, of simple, plain food, well cooked, and 
one kind at a time. English physicians will tell you to 
live on mutton, stale bread, and a pint of sherry wine for 
dinner : fish, toast, and chocolate for breakfast, and toast 
or hard bread and tea for supper. We have found that no 
rule can be laid down for all dyspeptics, this one excepted, 
viz. : Eat little and masticate it well ; do not make the stom- 
acJi do tlie work of the frying-pan, of mastication and diges- 
tion ; but eat a small piece of meat or fish, zvith brown or 
graham bread, stale bread toasted, oatmeal, or hard bread, 
and find by experience what kind you can safely take and 
how much. At dinner take moderately of meats, and a 
small portion of one kind of vegetable, with coarse bread 
and weak tea. One patient can use meat at every meal, but 
no vegetables or fish ; another fish and vegetables, but no 
meats or fruit. In some cases cider in wine-glassful doses, 
at any meal, will act as a tonic, especially if the stomach is 
alkaline in its secretions. 



I50 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

Do not drink while eating, nor drink much after meals ; 
if weak tea and coffee do not occasion distress or ill-feeling, 
they can be used in moderation. Whatever is selected for 
a diet, be sure and eat coarse bread, oatmeal, and porridge 
enough to keep the bowels in good condition ■ avoid consti- 
pation, piles, and alcoholic drinks. 

A better tea for dyspeptics is that made from yarrow ; 
another is from camomile flowers. If a tonic is needed at 
dinner-time, take — 

Black cherry-tree bark 1-2 pound 

Mountain ash or roundwood bark .... 1-2 " 

Put them into a gallon of cider ; dose, wine-glassful at 
dinner. If cider disagrees with the patient, let the barks 
be put into a gallon of water and steeped for two hours ; 
strain, and add a pint of gin, whiskey, or spirit, and sweteen 
to the taste : dose, a wine-glassful. If constipated, add 
one-half pound butternut bark with the others. 



GASTRITIS. 

This malady, or gastric fever, is usually an acute inflam- 
mation of the stomach, and one which happens rarely ; but 
one which develops rapidly, and in many cases to a fatal 
termination. It may be brought on by eating irritating or 
stimulating food, drinking freely of acid or alcoholic liquids, 
poisoning, or possibly by the very free use of water that is 
cold when the person is very much heated. 

The symptoms are an intense, burning pain in the stom- 
ach, thirst, restlessness, vomiting, attended with great 
pain ; water is taken only to be immediately thrown off 
the stomach. In cases of poisoning, there will be present 
a diarrhoea, and at the near approach of death hiccoughs 
begin, the pulse becomes feeble or wiry, and the patient 
languid. 



CONSTIPATION. I 5 I 

The treatment must be directed to checking the vomit- 
ing, and allowing the stomach to rest ; as the latter rejects 
almost everything that is given, small pieces of ice may be 
tried, as they are sometimes retained. But as cases of this 
nature are not only very uncommon, but develop with 
alarming and fatal rapidity, and are exceedingly difficult to 
control even by physicians, we would advise unskilful 
persons not to attempt to manage them, but to put the 
patient in charge of the best physician to be had, and at the 
earliest possible moment. 

CONSTIPATION. 

One of the most common troubles in the whole list, to 
which old and young, male and female, are alike subject, 
and which is generally brought upon those affected by their 
own neglect or carelessness, is constipation. Costiveness 
and constipation are one and the same, though the former 
term would be used to express a milder form of the latter. 
They indicate a difficulty or irregularity in the operations 
of the bowels, together with their attendant symptoms, 
such as dull or drowsy feelings and headache ; and this 
condition continued may result in piles, colic, fistula, or 
indigestion. 

During health, and to insure its preservation, it is neces- 
sary that there should be an operation or movement of the 
bowels daily, or twice each day, at regular times. This, 
almost as a rule, may be said to occur once a day, — that 
is, once in twenty-four hours ; but there are many instances 
in which it occurs regularly twice in twenty-four hours. 
The tendency of nature is towards a regular daily opera- 
tion ; and when any inclination to such act is put off to 
some more convenient time, the natural susceptibility of 
the parts will be affected by such a course, and a partially 
paralyzed condition of the rectum become seated, so that 



152 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

the desire for an operation will neither be so plainly felt 
nor given with any regularity. 

It is known to be true, in the case of many who have a 
regular time for such operations, that if they delay, or put 
off for half an hour, they lose all desire for that day. Not 
drinking enough water, eating too much, or very rich food, 
drinking wines and liquors, or coffee freely, sedentary 
habits, or lack of excercise, and not taking sufficient time 
for a proper movement of the bowels, will all tend to de- 
velop constipation. It is a very easy matter to bring on this 
difficulty, but it is very Jiard to remove it ; as it is generally 
brought on by the patient's neglect of himself, so it must be 
cured by his care of himself, more than by medicine. He 
must lay down some rules, and follow them. There are 
many methods in use, and we will point out some of the 
best. 

First among these in importance is the necessity of hav- 
ing a regular time for attending to the bowels ; continue 
to go at such time, and endeavor to have a movement, even 
if not successful for a while ; do not strain or use violent 
efforts, as they may be the cause of serious ills, such as 
piles or rupture. Adopt such a diet as will tend to move 
the bowels, and is easy of digestion, — brown bread, corn- 
cake, graham bread, toasts, fruits, berries, vegetables, 
baked-apples, etc. The free use of boiled cabbage is 
thoroughly effective in many cases ; oatmeal is excellent, 
being laxative and easy of digestion ; it has of late years 
been steadily gaining favor, when properly cooked. If not 
well cooked it will not be even palatable. Prunes and figs 
eaten freely are in many cases excellent as laxatives. In 
place of the above dieting, there may be taken first thing in 
the morning a glass of cold water, or with a little cornmeal 
or oatmeal stirred into it ; or if the mouth is bitter in the 
morning, take an egg in a little cider before each meal ; or 
keep small pieces of rhubarb in the mouth at intervals 



DIARRHCEA. 1 53 

during the day, and swallow the saliva. Purging or violent 
medicines are not advised, but gentle laxatives. Injections 
of warm water, or water with soap or molasses added, will 
serve the purpose well for a time, but will lose their effect 
after long usage. 

From what has been written, it will be seen that the 
cure depends mainly upon the individual, and by studying 
the causes which produced the trouble (whether it be inac- 
tivity, neglect, or improper food or drink), the remedy 
can be applied ; and as might be expected, it will require 
time and care to effect a cure. The following is simple 
and effectual : — 

Flour of sulphur I tablespoonful 

Cream of tartar 1-2 " 

Pulverized charcoal 1-4 " 

Cayenne pepper 1-2 teaspoonful 

Mix in molasses 1 cupful 

Dose, one-half teaspoonful on empty stomach once or twice 
a day, as required. 

DIARRHCEA. 

Diarrhoea, or looseness of the bowels, may be an effort 
of nature to throw off feculent matter (desirable to be got 
rid of), and should not be checked unless it proceeds to 
such an extent as to cause weakness in the patient. Ex- 
cept in such cases, where it takes place in the last stages 
of some disease, it may be caused by colds, or eating im- 
proper foods, such as unripe fruits, berries, or vegetables. 
Persons of all ages are liable to this disease, which is simi- 
lar to dysentry in its acute form, and which prevails in 
summer. Acute diarrhoea, by improper treatment and 
being allowed to run, will develop into dysentry or chronic 
diarrhoea. 

The following cordial has been used with the best 
effects in diarrhoea : Pulverized rhubarb one ounce, pep- 



154 0UR HOME DOCTOR. 

permint leaves one ounce, capsicum one-eighth ounce ; 
steep in a pint of water, strain, and acid one-half ounce bi- 
carbonate of potash, one-half ounce nutmeg, add brandy 
or whiskey, equal to one-eighth of the quantity of the de- 
coction, and sweeten the whole with honey or sugar. The 
dose for an adult should be from one to two tablespoonfuls, 
and for a child one or two teaspoonfuls ; and in either 
case should be taken several times a day. In severe cases 
the following can be made, and injections of it given : — 

New milk .1-2 pint. 

Slippery-elm mucilage 1 wine-glass. 

Molasses 1 " 

Sweet oil 1 tablespoonful. 

Laudanum 1 teaspoonful. 

For an adult administer one gill, and repeat in an hour ; 
for a child four years of age, inject a teaspoonful, and re- 
peat in fifteen minutes if it is not retained. 

Blackberry wine is good in all cases of this nature, as 
also is a cordial made as follows : Blackberries two quarts, 
boiled with sugar, seasoned with cloves, allspice, and a pint 
of brandy added when cold. This makes a pleasant drink, 
and can be taken once every three or four hours, in quan- 
tities varying from a teaspoonful to a wine-glassful. 

A tablespoonful castor oil, in which has been put twenty 
or twenty-five drops laudanum, will in very many cases 
afford marked relief ; and these two articles are usually on 
hand. If near a drug store, the following may be obtained 
and used : — 

Tincture rhubarb 2 ounces 

Carbonate potash 1-2 " 

Essence peppermint 1-2 " 

Paregoric 1 drachm 

Tincture cayenne 1 " 

Brandy or whiskey I gill 

Water 1 " 

Sugar 4 tablespoonfuls 



DYSENTERY. I 5 5 

Mix ; dose, a tablespoonful every twenty minutes till relief 
is obtained. 

It is almost needless to say that an attack should not be 
too quickly checked ; and, when getting over one, care 
should be taken to avoid a too liberal diet, or such food as 
might have a tendency to bring on this difficulty anew. 

DYSENTERY. 

This is an affection of the alimentary canal, and is com- 
monly met with in the last of summer and first of autumn ; 
it may be caused by contagion, by very hot weather fol- 
lowing immediately damp or rainy spells, by noxious 
vapors, but in many instances is doubtless occasioned by 
the free use of fruits and vegetables that are unsuitable for 
food. In armies and navies, the disease has often pre- 
vailed so alarmingly as to be regarded as the scourge of 
the troops, prevailing as an epidemic to a fearful extent, 
and from causes similar, apparently, to those which induce 
cholera morbus. 

Dysentry may be either acute or chronic, the latter 
being a result of the former form when neglected or im- 
properly treated. An attack of this complaint may be pre- 
ceded by loss of appetite, more or less costiveness, and in 
some instances it may originate with a diarrhoea; the 
desire to have an operation of the bowels will not only be 
imperative, but very frequent, yet there will scarcely be 
anything to justify the feeling, as the motion is of a very 
painful and griping character, while the discharge is ex- 
ceedingly small. When inflammation sets in, the desire to 
empty the bowels becomes irresistible, as well as more fre- 
quent, while the discharges are continually decreasing in 
quantity. These vary in appearance, — in some cases being 
frothy mucus, streaked with blood ; in others, presenting 
a watery appearance, with an unusually offensive smell ; 



156 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

in others, blood is passed, and in some instances coagu- 
lated mucus, having a resemblance to crumbs of cheese ; 
natural excrement is rarely passed, and when it is, it has 
the appearance of small lumps, but such operation is 
always followed by relief. The disease is attended with 
more or less fever ; and where the symptoms are marked 
with loss of strength and involuntary discharges, the result 
is apt to be speedily fatal. The treatment must first be 
directed to correcting the condition of the liver, and next 
to curing the irritation of the exposed lining membrane of 
the intestine, by means of healing and mucilaginous sub- 
stances. 

For this purpose, we do not advise the use of active 
cathartics, but to begin the treatment by preparing the 
following mixture : — 

Pulverized turkey rhubarb 1 teaspoonful. 

Bicarbonate potash 1 " 

Pulverized cinnamon 1 " 

Pulverized peppermint leaves . . . . 1 teacupful. • 

Steep for fifteen minutes in half a pint of boiling water ; 
then strain and add one teaspoonful of white sugar ; give of 
the mixture for a dose, a tablespoonful every hour until 
there is a change for the better, and the discharges are 
improved in appearance. The patient may drink a table- 
spoonful of lime-water in milk every three hours, and use 
the same for injections. 

Another very efficacious preparation is the following 
compound : — 

Pulverized charcoal 2 tablespoonfuls 

" rhubarb 1-2 teaspoonful 

Carbonate potash 1 " 

Pulverized cinnamon 1 " 

Mix and make twenty powders, and take one every hour 
until relief is obtained. 



DYSENTERY. 1 57 

In adopting either of these remedies, it should be accom- 
panied by warm fomentations of spirit and water applied 
over the bowels and changed often. If any injections are 
used, the quantity must be very small ; it may be a table- 
spoonful for a child, or a wine-glassful for an adult, as the 
parts are so irritable and tender that a large quantity 
would be at once rejected. If one comes away soon, give 
another in fifteen minutes. A most excellent though old 
remedy for chronic diarrhoea and cholera morbus, which is 
always at hand, is, take a pint of hardwood ashes, a wine- 
glassful of soot collected from the chimney, or cooking- 
pans, and mix in a quart of water ; steep twenty minutes, 
strain, and add a teaspoonful essence of peppermint and mo- 
lasses, or sugar, to suit the taste ; dose, a tablespoonful be- 
fore eating, or three times a day. After the desired change 
in the character of the discharges has been brousrht about, 
there may still be more or less inflammation in the colon 
or lower intestines, which may be relieved by injections of 
the following : — 

Pulverized slippery-elm bark . . . .1-2 ounce 

Milk 1 pint 

Olive oil 1 wine-glassful 

Molasses 1 tablespoonful 

Of this mucilage give for an injection one tablespoonful 
when the patient complains of pain, and have it retained as 
long as possible ; if it can readily be retained for a long 
time, give larger quantities. 

If the desire to evacuate the bowels continues to be in- 
tense, half a tablespoonful of laudanum can be added to 
this mixture, and the effect of the injections will be speedy 
relief ; and in some instances the disease may become 
located in the lower bowel, so that this form or method of 
treatment may have to be depended upon wholly. 

Copious or abundant perspiration is not called for, but 



I58 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

during the continuance of an attack of dysentery it should 
be the aim of those in charge of the patient to keep him 
in a gentle perspiration, by which we mean a natural con- 
dition of the skin, and not dry or feverish. Warm drinks 
can be given of such herbs as mint, balm, saffron, or 
pleurisy-root. Good nursing is very essential in this, as in 
all diseases ; the clothing should be changed frequently. 
Special attention should be paid to the food of the patient, 
which should be composed of light and nutritious articles, 
such as crackers toasted and soaked, gruels, broth, boiled 
milk, and rice water, or toast water. As this disease is 
liable to assume serious forms, and relief is not easily ob- 
tained, by following such directions as are given here, we 
advise having a physician in whom they can depend. 

CHRONIC DYSENTERY. 

When dysentery assumes this form, which it will after a 
time if not checked, it must be treated in much the same 
manner as in its first stage, but to bring about a cure is 
very difficult. A remedy in which we place great confi- 
dence is according to the formula here given : — 

Essence peppermint 1 ounce 

Paregoric 2 teaspoonfuls 

Pulverized rhubarb 25 grains 

Carbonate of potash 25 " 

Sugar 1 tablespoonful 

Mix in a cupful of water, and take for a dose one teaspoon- 
ful every fifteen minutes. We also advise at the same 
time injections of the following : — 

Slippery -elm bark in a gill of hot water, enough to make 
a mucilage; strain, and add — 

Sugar of lead 5 grains 

Laudanum . . 25 drops 



CHOLERA MORBUS. I 59 

This is a sufficient quantity for an injection. In case of 
its coming away inside of half an hour, repeat the injec- 
tion after waiting thirty minutes, giving only half the 
quantity used at first, and lay upon the bowels flannels 
wet in fomentations of tansy, wormwood, catnip, or bur- 
dock leaves, in water and rum, or vinegar, used as warm 
as can be borne, and renewed as often as they become 
cool. 

For diet take thin flour gruel, boiled for an hour, and in 
which is grated cinnamon or nutmeg to suit the taste, and 
sweetened with sugar or honey ; take small doses, say two 
or three tablespoonfuls every hour. Take peppermint or 
Virginia snake-root tea, in every pint of which is dissolved 
a quarter of a teaspoonful of saleratus ; of this use two or 
three tablespoonfuls every half hour. 

If there should be vomiting, and it continues, give small 
pieces of ice as large as chestnuts, and let them be taken 
until it is checked. If there is heat and fever about the 
bowels, apply flannels wrung out in warm fomentations, 
and put the feet into hot water ; place upon the head 
cloths wet with water and spirit, in order to cool it. 
Moderate quantities of cream of tartar in hot water, with a 
little sugar, say a wine-glassful at a time, will give tone 
to the stomach and a relish for food, unless acid is the 
cause of the dysentery ; and if so, the discharges will not 
be diminished ; and magnesia (either carbonate or calcined) 
in mint tea may be taken ; take half a wine-glass every 
hour or so, according to the degree of thirst. 

CHOLERA MORBUS. 

This is an affection of the stomach and intestines, which 
is prevalent in this country, and often proves fatal. It in 
many cases results from sudden changes of climate. There 
are many theories regarding the origin of this disease ; 



l60 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

but that which seems to us most reasonable is that at cer- 
tain seasons persons who are predisposed have an acid 
poison generated, — the result of eating fruit and vegetables, 
— which attaches itself to the stomach and liver, causing 
in these organs an excitement which may be either mild or 
intense, according to the condition of the system. The 
disease is most prevalent in the summer, and the symp- 
toms are nausea and griping pain in the stomach and 
bowels, weakness in the limbs, and a feeling as though 
something which had been eaten must be thrown off the 
stomach. There will be the desire to have an operation of 
the bowels and to vomit at the same time ; the discharges 
are at first dark colored, bilious, and fetid, but soon become 
watery, and nothing is retained on the stomach. 

The treatment which we have found to act like a charm 
in allaying the pain, and stopping both vomiting and purg- 
ing, is the following : — 

Tincture or essence of peppermint I ounce or 4 tablespoonfuls 

Carbonate of potash 20 grains 

Water 4 tablespoonfuls 

Paregoric 1 drachm (1 teaspoonful) 

Honey or white sugar . . . . 1 dessertspoonful 

Mix well ; dose, a teaspoonful every fifteen minutes. When 
the patient becomes quiet let him sleep, and have hot 
bricks or bottles of hot water placed at the feet to draw the 
blood to the extremities and equalize the circulation. If 
vomiting continues after taking several doses of the medi- 
cine, swallow small pieces of ice until it is checked ; after 
a few hours the patient may have thin gruel and toast 
water. 



ASIATIC CHOLERA. 



161 



ASIATIC CHOLERA. 

This is a disease that attacks adults, and is really cholera 
morbus in its most severe or malignant form. It has often 
prevailed as an epidemic in Europe and in this country ; 
the symptoms are vomiting and purging at the same time, 
with great pain and griping, cramps in the legs, stomach, 
and bowels, chills and cold extremities ; white, frothy, 
watery liquid is thrown off the stomach at first, but later a 
dark mass resembling coffee-grounds. In the latter stage 
of the disease the face is pale and haggard, the eyes dull 
and sunk in the head, features shrivelled, hands discolored, 
breathing labored, great heat and thirst in the stomach. 
Slight hopes can be entertained when these latter symp- 
toms are present. 

The following prescription embraces the remedies which 
have been used with the best results where this disease 
has appeared : — 



Spirits of camphor . 
Tincture of rhubarb 
Tincture of cayenne 
Carbonate of potash 
Tincture of ginger . 
Tincture of opium . 
Essence of peppermin 
Hartshorn . . . 
Brandy or whiskey 



1-2 ounce 
1-2 " 
1-4 " 

1-2 " 
1-2 " 
1-8 " 

1-4 " 
1-8 " 

1-2 pint 



Mix ; dose, one tablespoonful every twenty minutes in 
wine-glassful of water. 

For the country, where there is no drug store : — 



Powdered rhubarb ....... 2 tablespoonfuls 

Ginger I teaspoonful 

Cayenne pepper 1-2 " 



1 62 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

Steep well in half pint of water, simmer down to a gill, 
strain, and add — 

Essence peppermint I tablespoonful 

Spirits camphor ....... 1-2 " 

Hartshorn or ammonia 1 teaspoonful 

Laudanum 1 " 

Saleratus 1 " 

Whiskey or brandy 1-2 pint 

Dose, half a tablespoonful every twenty minutes in table- 
spoonful of hot water. 

After the patient is relieved, give small doses of black- 
berry-root tea ; to make this, bruise an ounce of the root, 
and steep for an hour in a pint of water. In extreme 
cases, where the patient is cold, there may be given warm 
injections of half a pint of starch and half a teaspoonful of 
laudanum, one teaspoonful brandy or whiskey ; and in 
case of its coming away immediately, repeat in ten minutes 
with less starch. Hot bricks or bottles of water should be 
placed at the feet and sides of the patient ; poultices, with 
mustard on the surface, should be applied over the stomach 
as hot as endurable : if thirst is great, give hot drinks of 
ginger tea with spirit. 

When the patient has been relieved, the most perfect 
quiet must be maintained for some time, as any attempt at 
rising may be followed by a relapse. 

MILK SICKNESS. 

This is a species of cholera, confined to and known 
only in the Western States, and supposed to be caused by 
using milk and butter made on farms on which the cows 
have been kept in pastures where the feed was short, and 
in the driest time when the milkweed is in blossom (August 
and September). As the disease is not known during other 



INFLAMMATION OF THE BOWELS. 163 

months, or when feed is plenty, there appears good reason 
for attributing it to that cause. 

Milkweed is known and used in medicine, and possesses 
valuable properties, which in small doses stimulates the 
heart, stomach, and lungs, and quickens the circulation. 

Like the symptoms of poisoning, cholera, or dysentery, 
those of this disease are sudden ; the treatment should be 
similar to that adopted in mild cases of cholera or cholera 
morbus, with this exception : if there has been no vomiting 
induce it by giving an emetic of mustard and salt, a tea- 
spoonful in a tumbler of warm water. When the stomach 
is thoroughly emptied take the following : — 

Tincture or essence peppermint ...... 1 ounce 

Carbonate potash ... 20 grains 

Paregoric, one teaspoonful 1 drachm 

Mix, and take half a teaspoonful every twenty minutes, in 
a tablespoonful of mint tea, sweetened 

If vomiting continues after several doses have been 
taken, let the patient swallow small pieces of ice, and it 
will be checked. Put the patient to bed, with something 
hot at the feet, and in a few hours give warm thin gruel. 
At the end of five or six hours, take thoroughwort or dande- 
lion root tea to act as a cathartic. 



INFLAMMATION OF THE BOWELS. 

Inflammation of the lining membrane of the intestines is 
marked by fevers, great costiveness, vomiting, and a 
doubled-up feeling of the stomach and bowels, with cramp- 
like pains, shooting from side to side among the intestines, 
as though something must be passed from them. The 
matter that is thrown off the stomach is dark, and in its 
nature resembles excrement, thus indicating that the nat- 
ural action of the bowels has been reversed, because of 



164 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

their present inflamed condition. The symptoms are very 
similar to those of colic, but may be distinguished from 
them as follows : in the colic there is the twisting pain 
directly beneatJi the navel ; also by the fact that during a fit 
of colic, pressure upon the abdomen is a relief ; in this dis- 
ease it only increases the suffering. The treatment should 
be to check the vomiting by having the patient swallow 
small pieces of ice, or drink tea made of leaves of pigweed, 
or of the striped alder, and also by giving injections of 
warm soapy water, or gruel made thin and blood-warm ; 
place upon the abdomen flannels wrung out of warm 
fomentations of wormwood, rum, and water as warm as can 
be endured. If an operation is not produced in half an 
hour, take a tablespoonful of castor oil in peppermint tea, 
or if the patient prefers he can chew small pieces of rhu- 
barb root at intervals of half an hour between, so as to 
use in the space of three hours a piece as large as a chest- 
nut ; this, with the flannel and fomentations on the bowels 
and the injections, will most likely cause an operation and 
afford relief. After this the patient must have rest and 
quiet, avoiding food, except such as gruel, toast water, etc. 

INFLAMMATION OF THE PERITONEUM. 

This membrane lines the cavity of the abdomen and 
covers the organs known as the abdominal viscera, and is 
seldom affected except from sympathy with the womb in 
cases of childbirth, inflammation of the bowels, bladder, 
liver, stomach, or from injuries received. The symptoms 
are similar to those of inflammation of the bowels, and re- 
quire the same treatment. 

Nature will do a great deal toward equalizing the circu- 
lation, but in many cases she must have help; the patient 
may be placed in bed, and a free perspiration started by 
placing hot bricks and bottles at the feet and sides. At the 



PLAGUE, OR BLACK VOMIT. 165 

same time give warm drinks of mint or saffron tea. If 
there is no doctor present, and the patient does not 
improve in a day or two, it is best to call one in without 
delay. 

PLAGUE, OR BLACK VOMIT. 

This is, thanks to Providence, a rare visitor to this 
country. It has appeared in the Old World and the New : 
during the eighteenth century it prevailed extensively in 
Eastern and Southern Europe, and with a terrible fatality, 
the treatment not being understood. The same is true of 
cholera. This disease, which has appeared so. seldom in 
Europe and South America, breaks out with innumerable 
cases, and has its run, and is ended fatally before the 
doctors have decided what course to adopt, and the disease 
does not again appear during the lifetime of the same 
physicians. 

It is well-known that malignant diseases or plagues 
make their appearance periodically, or at intervals one 
hundred years apart, while another peculiarity has been 
that the symptoms have not been alike on the various 
occasions of its visit ; nor have they yielded to the same 
treatment. 

The treatment may be hot drinks of ginger, spirit, and 
cayenne pepper tea, the feet in a bath-tub, with fomenta- 
tions on the pit of the stomach, drafts on the feet, warm 
injections of gruel, with a tablespoonful of spirit in them, 
as in remittent fever, and sponging with alkaline water. 
We can say very little of value about it that will meet 
the cases, should it break out again. 



1 66 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



COLIC. 



This, in the case of young children, may be caused by 
cold or damp feet, by improper food, or by the mother's 
system being out of order. In the cases of adults, it may 
be from dampness next the body, exposure to a chill when 
warm, eating acid or indigestible food, and a costive state 
of the bowels. The symptoms of this complaint are an 
enlarged and hard condition of the belly, very severe pain, 
of a twisting nature directly beneath the navel, flatulency, 
and vomiting. This ailment can be distinguished from 
any other by the twisting pains under the navel, these 
being peculiar to it alone. It is also attended by the most 
obstinate costiveness. In the cases of it in little children, 
it may be known by the large and hardened state of the 
abdomen, the wind being thrown off the stomach, and 
from seeing the little sufferer draw its knees up towards 
the bowels. In bilious colic, there is a bitter taste in the 
mouth while vomiting bile, and great costiveness. 

To relieve the pain let the feet be put into hot water, 
and cloths wrung out in hot water, and a few drops of 
laudanum (or turpentine) poured on them, and placed on 
the bowels ; take hot stimulants, such as cayenne in sweet- 
ened water, or spirit with cloves or cinnamon added ; give 
an injection of starch or slippery elm in a half-pint of mint 
tea, with a teaspoonful of laudanum added, and have the 
same retained. If there is no relief in an hour or so, give 
another injection of half the quantity. This complaint, 
though the symptoms are so violent and painful, is seldom 
if ever fatal. 

In the bilious colic the vomiting is as intolerable as the 
costiveness is obstinate. To relieve the former, add a tea- 
spoonful of brandy or whiskey to a cup of mint tea, and 
take a spoonful when the feeling of nausea comes on ; to 
move the bowels, use an injection ; and a most effective 



SEA-SICKNESS. \6j 

one is made of child's urine in starch, and administered 
warm. In all cases of colic, for some time after as well 
as during the fit, let the effort be made to have the bowels 
well opened. 

Painters' colic, as the name indicates, affects painters 
and those working in lead, and is poisoning by that metal. 
In such cases there may be seen a fine blue line at the 
edge of the gums, or where they meet the teeth. Iodide 
of potassium has been used with great benefit in the treat- 
ment, five grains, three times daily, and the dose increased 
as the use is continued. In this as in other cases of colic, 
the costiveness must be removed by food or injection. 

SEA-SICKNESS, 

As the name implies, affects those travelling by water. In 
this sickness there is present an irresistible impulse to 
vomit, equally so when the stomach is empty, thus showing 
that the feeling is caused by excitement of the brain, 
brought on by the motion of the vessel. 

With some persons the duration of this feeling will be 
but for a day or two, while with others it will last during 
an entire voyage ; and when those affected in this latter 
manner at last step upon land, it is with a feeling of thank- 
fulness and resolutions never to travel by water in the future, 
if it can possibly be avoided. 

The complaint is very distressing, and in some cases 
particularly so, the compulsion to vomit being so strong, 
that the organs of digestion may be strained and a feeling 
of soreness be left. When the sickness is not severe, it is 
beneficial rather than otherwise, as the stomach is thor- 
oughly cleansed, and the liver discharges its surplus bile. 
The treatment is, of course, such as will check the nausea 
and vomiting, which, in the majority of cases, can be done 
in a day or two. At the first indication of sickness the 



1 68 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

patient should retire to his berth and remain there, lying 
on his back, keeping quiet, eating little, if anything, taking 
a little stimulant, brandy or whiskey, often, and when 
really hungry, eating some toast, crackers, or other light 
food, and raw codfish. The small doses of spirit will serve 
to stimulate the stomach, and until, the patient is sure that 
he can endure the rolling motion of the vessel, he ought 
not to move about much or attempt going to the table. 
When the sickness passes away the appetite will be won- 
derfully keen, and food of all kinds can be indulged in. 

It is not uncommon for persons of sensitive organiza- 
tion to become affected with all the symptoms of sea-sick- 
ness, when swinging or riding in a carriage, especially a 
close or covered carriage, like a stage-coach. Much has 
been said and written regarding the cause, prevention, and 
cure of sea-sickness ; but the cause remains a mystery. 
Some sea-faring men are never sick, others are not sick 
after a first trip, while still another class have an attack 
evciy time they are subject to the motion of the sea, but 
attribute it to the sight of the ocean, or the smell of the 
bilge water, or to the muriatic acid of the sea air ; but swing- 
ing on land dispels this theory. Those who do not suffer 
severely can have half a pint of spirit, in which has been 
put a tablespoonful of sulphuric ether, and take a little 
when the nausea comes on ; or, any person who objects to 
using spirit can use a piece of raw salt codfish, or raw 
onion. Having had an attack of sea-sickness, the person 
should take a mild cathartic soon after landing. 

VOMITING 

Sometimes occurs when, as far as can be seen, there is no 
cause ; it may take place after meals, and be attended with 
retching and nausea, or be without them. It may not be 
regarded as indicative of any disease, but as an irritation 



VOMITING BLOOD. 1 69 

of the stomach, the effect of over-eating, or of an overflow 
of bile in the stomach. There are instances in which the 
patient has vomited after nearly every meal, and from the 
fact that this continued without the patient losing flesh, 
it must show that all the food eaten was not ejected from 
the stomach. Therefore, upon the appearance of such 
symptoms, the quantity of food eaten should be reduced 
until it can be taken without any ill-effects ; and drink a 
cup of tea or coffee, part at a time, in the forenoon or 
afternoon. If the adoption of such a course does not 
afford relief, it is evident that the difficulty is occasioned 
by dyspepsia or some irritation in the stomach, and the 
remedy must be looked for in another direction. 

When caused by an overflow of bile into the stomach, 
such condition will be shown by the substance that is 
thrown up. A tablespoonful of decoction of dandelion root 
and butternut bark, taken on an empty stomach, three 
times a day, will in most cases prove beneficial. 

VOMITING BLOOD. 

This complaint may be said to be rarely met with, and 
when there is a discharge of blood from the mouth, it 
should be examined to ascertain whether it comes from the 
lungs or stomach. If from the lungs, the blood will be 
light in color, or bright red, and mixed with a mucus or 
froth ; but if from the stomach the blood will be dark in 
color, and have with it portions of half-digested food. 

With women this effect may be caused by suppression 
of their periodical sickness, whereby the blood is diverted 
from the natural channels, and relief may be afforded 
by applying drafts to the feet, or putting them into hot 
water, keeping the patient quiet in bed and inducing per- 
spiration. 

When the quantity thrown up is considerable, send for 



I/O OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

a physician at once, and in any event of the kind it is best 
to take medical advice early. Relief in some cases may 
be afforded by sipping alum water, or salt and water, by 
applying to the sides hot bricks saturated with vinegar. 
In cases where chills are present, the vapor bath will be 
useful. Be particular and avoid straining and all possible 
sible chances of taking cold. 



HEARTBURN. 

This has not, as the name would indicate, anything to 
do with the heart, but is an acid condition of the stomach 
brought on by eating some coarse or indigestible kind of 
food ; we have known it to affect a person who used con- 
siderable corn-meal in his diet, such as corn-cake, brown 
bread, and puddings. Although this complaint is some- 
times an attendant symptom of dyspepsia, it may be, and 
in many cases is, entirely independent of the latter. 

Women during pregnancy are often subject to this com- 
plaint. The symptoms consist of a burning sensation in 
the stomach, and often of nausea. As a means of preven- 
tion, learn what causes the feeling and avoid eating it. 
Avoid acid food of the nature of pickles ; also such food as 
is apt to turn sour in the stomach, such as jellies, pre- 
serves, candies, sugar, and rich sweet cakes. An emetic, 
a teaspoonful of mustard in a cup of warm water, will empty 
the stomach and afford relief, as will also a teaspoonful of 
magnesia taken after eating; or half a teaspoonful of sale-, 
ratus, or baking soda, in a little water. 



HICCOUGHS 

Are too well known to require any description. Opinions 
differ in regard to this convulsive affection, some believ- 
ing it to be caused by the stomach, while others think it 



WORMS. 171 

caused by the diaphragm. It may be brought on by eating 
too hastily, or by eating dry food (like crackers) which 
does not become sufficiently moistened by the saliva ; cold 
drinks when a person is warm may bring them on, and it 
is a fact generally known that those who have been drink- 
ing heavily of intoxicating liquors may have them severely. 
There are many things named as cures, among them the 
following have been found upon trial to be good : Take 
half a cup of warm drink, such as tea, or coffee ; soak a 
lump of sugar with vinegar and eat it ; when caused by 
anything poisonous, take milk and oil, or give an emetic ; 
when by wind, take one-fourth of a teaspoonful carbonate 
of soda in a wine-glassful of water ; in severe cases, ten 
or fifteen drops of laudanum may be given. Various minor 
methods are sometimes followed by success, and among 
these may be mentioned holding the breath and counting 
one hundred, or frightening the person ; this can be done 
by accusing them of stating falsehoods about another, or 
of taking things belonging to others. 



WORMS. 

A careful examination shows that mankind are afflicted 
with many different kinds of worms, which infest the 
various organs of the body, the heart and brain included ; 
but are found principally in the intestines. Those com- 
monly met with are the following five species : first, the 
invisible worm ; second, the thread-worm ; third, the pin- 
worm ; fourth, the long, round worm ; fifth, the tape-worm. 
The three first named infest the lo\ver intestines, the first 
named being too small to be seen with the naked eye, re- 
quiring a magnifying glass ; the thread-worm is a very 
small, white parasite, that can be seen by a close examina- 
tion ; while the pin-worm, which is also white, varies in 
length from half an inch to an inch. The long, round 



172 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

worm is found in the upper, or small intestines, and varies 
in length from three to nine inches ; they are occasionally 
met with in old people in vast numbers, causing many 
serious symptoms, and sometimes get into the stomach, 
and are vomited up. The tape-worm may occupy the 
entire intestines, and may attain a length of from two to 
thirty feet ; it is white, flat, like the common tape, and 
made up of numerous joints, each one of which has the 
power of reproducing an indefinite number of joints at 
its lower end or tail ; each joint contains by estimation 
three thousand eggs and the male and female organs for 
reproduction. A reference can be had to the chapter de- 
voted exclusively to tape-worm. 

The thought that the human body should furnish a lodg- 
ment for these parasites is a most exasperating and disgust- 
ing one, and indications of their presence should be 
carefully looked for, and if present prompt measures should 
be taken for their expulsion. 

The symptoms denoting either pin or long round worms 
are similar, and may be enumerated as fetid breath, coated 
tongue, changeable appetite, griping pain in the stomach, 
belly hard and full, hacking cough, itching at the nose and 
anus, restlessness and gritting the teeth during sleep, and 
flushing and paling of one or both cheeks. With young 
children worm fits are sometimes brought on, and with 
adults various diseases sometimes disappear when the 
worms are expelled from the patient. 

The indications are strongest at night, and there are 
often other signs besides those named, such as frequent 
discharges of urine, from sympathy of the bladder, every 
half hour, and wakefulness. The remedies used for their 
removal are numerous, and must be used for a time in 
order to be effective, and prevent their speedy reappear- 
ance. We give the following list of articles that have 
been often tried successfully: — 



WORMS. 173 

Sulphur 1 tablespoonful 

Cream tartar 1-2 " 

Mix in molasses. Dose for a child, half a teaspoonful, 
morning and evening ; adult or youth, twice as much. 

A cheap, safe, convenient, and effectual remedy is half a 
tablespoonful of salt in half a teacupful of water : let a child 
take half of this in the morning and half in the evening, 
and an adult take all of it at a dose. While using it, give 
also injections of a teaspoonful of salt and a teacupful of 
water. 

Take equal quantities of pink root and garden rue, of 
both half a teacupful ; make a tea, and take some of it two 
or three times a day on an empty stomach. 

Make a strong tea of sage, or mix pulverized sage with 
molasses, and take before eating and at nisfht. If it does 
not kill, them it drives them down and affords relief. A 
strong decoction of quassia or wormwood taken several 
times daily will drive them down and afford relief. 

Take half a dozen tablespoonfuls of lime water every 
day, taking each spoonful alone or in four times as much 
milk. To make lime water : Slake a piece of lime as 
large as a teacup in three quarts of water, and, after settling, 
pour off the clear water ; use this also for injections, taking 
a tablespoonful in thin gruel. 

Dissolve a half teaspoonful of saltpetre in half a pint of 
water, and give as an injection. 

Give as an injection one teaspoonful of tincture muriate 
of iron in half a pint of water. 

We have found an injection of some bitter herb the best 
and safest remedy for the expulsion of worms. 

Take a tablespoonful of wormseed, crush or bruise it, 
steep it in half a pint of hot water an hour, strain ; give as 
injection one-half to an adult, and from one to four table- 
spoonfuls to a child, according to the age. The second 
half may be o-iven twenty-four hours afterwards if needed. 



174 0UR HOME DOCTOR. 

If wormseed is not to be had, take half a teacupful of 
wormwood, yellow dock root or burdock root, bruise or 
grate them, and steep an hour in half a pint of hot water, 
and give as injection, as above directed, one-half at a time. 



TAPE-WORM. 

The best-defined symptoms are an uneasy feeling in the 
pit of the stomach, which often abates after eating ; gener- 
ally a craving appetite, but this at times may be poor or 
wanting, itching at the nose and anus, feeling of nausea, 
colicky pains, giddiness, and an acid or sour breath ; pupils 
dilated, constant flatulency of the bowels, and a twitching 
or slightly convulsive movement of the body. 

In ten cases of tape-worm which were treated by Louis, 
he observed, "that all of them had pains in the abdomen, 
but that in the different cases it varied in degree and 
extent, and while in some it was constant and stationary, 
it was in others transient and intermittent." 

We have noticed, besides the above symptoms, a tremor 
of the hand, a wavering of the eye similar to that which 
warns the patient of an approaching fit of epilepsy, an 
unsettled expression of countenance, a blue tinge, like that 
produced on a cold day, about the eyes, and denoting 
poisoning or derangement of the blood. We often meet 
patients with the looks and symptoms of worms, and if an 
opinion were ventured to them, the reply would be, " Yes, 
I will see about it," which means that they will see their 
doctor, and he in reply would ask them, " Who put that 
idea into your head ? You have no worms." 

Without going into the opinions and arguments of 
writers, we will give from the long list of remedies some 
of which have been used with success and without injury. 

One physician employs the bark of pomegranate root 
steeped ; another uses the bark of slippery elm chewed, 



TAPE-WORM. 175 

and taken freely ; a third relates a very succesful cure by 
eating freely of garlic, and using as much salt as possible 
with it ; another cure was the result of using twenty-grain 
doses of mandrake and salt ; another advocates cowhage, 
from the pod, one teaspoonful ; another remedy is made by 
compounding — 

Garden rue 2 ounces 

Garlic 2 " 

Assafcetida 4 " 

Whiskey 2 quarts 

Bottle and let stand for ten days ; dose, one-half wine-glass- 
ful taken three times daily, before eating. The flowers of 
kousso (a remedy recommended by our son, the late Dr. 
Webster Fletcher of Boston, to whom it was imparted by 
a travelling medical lecturer, who obtained it from an 
Abyssinian who knew its virtue and use in the East. Its 
virtue has been proved by many trials. We have used it 
with certain and satisfactory results, the last time in the 
case of a young man, clerk in a store. On the morning 
after administering the dose the worm came away entire, 
a length of eleven feet, which was preserved. The dose 
is one ounce of the flowers, which are pulverized, and 
taken in two parts, as follows : the patient to fast or eat 
very little for one day, and on the following morning take 
no breakfast, other than perhaps a cup of tea : put half of 
the ounce of flowers into a tumbler of milk, and after it 
has stood for an hour, drink or eat with a spoon ; wait half 
an hour, then take the other half of the flowers in like 
manner. Soon afterwards the patient may take some 
lemon juice, and after a few hours should take some oil, or 
other laxative medicine to move the bowels, and bring 
away the worm. 

We speak and feel confident about the value of this 
remedy, when tried in the proper manner. 



176 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



PILES. 



Piles are of two kinds, internal and external ; the variety 
first named usually appears as a swelling or distended con- 
dition of the veins in the vicinity of the anus. When these 
veins become ruptured, the patient has bleeding piles ; ex- 
ternal piles have the appearance of a tumor or excrescence, 
which appears hard ; this form is also known as blind or 
strangulated piles. The piles may be brought on by 
various causes, among which are the use of aloes or other 
drastic medicine, sedentary habits, straining to obtain an 
operation, and neglecting to attend to nature's calls 
promptly. 

For internal piles, keep the bowels open by the use 
of vegetables, the best of which are cabbage, beets, 
carrots, parsnips, and onions. Of the list onions and cab- 
bage are the most effective, if the smell of cooking and 
eating is not objected to ; but what of this, compared to 
the suffering caused by the piles ? Rye, oat, and the 
coarse ground meals tend to keep the bowels in a good 
condition. If there should be protruding piles when at 
stool, wash them with warm water and castile soap, after 
which rub them with an ointment made as follows : — 

Mutton, tallow, or lard 2 tablespoonfuls 

. Flour of sulphur 1 teaspoonful 

Borax 1-2 " 

Carbolic acid . 1 teaspoonful liquid or 5 grains solid 

Mix thoroughly, anoint, and pass some up the passage. 

In some instances piles are caused by very small worms, 
which produce an intense itching ; this may be relieved 
and the worms destroyed by injections of salt and water, 
— a teaspoonful of salt in a teacupful of warm water. 

Another injection may be made of a teacupful of gruel, 
in which dissolve half a teaspoonful of saltpetre. 



FISTULA. I77 



FISTULA. 

The word signifies a long pipe-like ulcer, callous within, 
and frequently opening into or communicating with a 
larger cavity ; the two kinds commonly met with are fis- 
tula in ano, and fistula in perineo ; the former penetrates 
into the tissues around the anus, or into the rectum itself, 
or it may break through the skin externally. 

The causes that produce them are irregularity of the 
bowels, constipation, derangement, high living, want of 
exercise, piles, etc. 

The most prominent symptoms are swelling and pain in 
the rectum about the anus and the formation of a tumor, 
which, by the slow accumulation of matter, gradually ad- 
vances to suppuration. The common method of treatment 
is by the surgeon's knife ; but this operation is severe and 
does not, in our opinion, always cure. We advise a trial 
to be made of the following treatment : Bathe the parts 
thoroughly with water as warm as can be borne, then 
steam with a decoction of hops, tansy, and wormwood ; a 
handful of each boiled together for an hour ; put the de- 
coction into a large pail or a small tub, add half a pint of 
soft soap, place a piece of narrow board on the edge of 
the tub, and the patient sit in it with a blanket over the 
shoulders, remaining there for fifteen or twenty minutes 
over the hot decoction. Do this three times daily. After 
steaming anoint the parts with an ointment made of — 

Lard 2 tablespoonfuls 

Spirits turpentine 1 teaspoonful 

Flour sulphur ,1 " 

Alcohol 1 " 

Or this: — 

Ointment for piles, ulcers, and sores : One-fourth pound 
witch-hazel bark, one-fourth pound black cherry bark, one- 



iy8 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

fourth pound white-oak bark, one ounce sage leaves, one- 
fourth pound apple-tree bark ; steep in a quart of water 
three hours ; steep down to half a pint, strain, and add a 
teacupful of lard stirred in while warm. 

Keep the bowels open by the use of laxatives, or by 
means of warm water injections if necessary. In case of 
an opening of piles or fistula, and there is considerable 
matter discharged, give injections of weak lye made with 
wood ashes ; or make a pint of thin gruel, add a teaspoon- 
ful saleratus, one of flour of sulphur, and one of finely pul- 
verized charcoal. In chronic cases for an injection use the 
following mixture : — 

Milk or cream i pint 

Flour of sulphur . . . I teaspoonful 

Sulphate zinc 10 grains 

Borax 30 " 

Dissolve zinc and borax in a little water ; have the injec- 
tion retained by pressing upon the opening with a soft 
cloth. 

In cases of this sort it is impossible to lay down exact 
rules for the guidance of any person ; the most that can be 
told is what will give a general idea of the sore and of the 
treatment ; but in every instance of the kind we advise the 
employment of a doctor. 

PROLAPSUS ANI. 

This is a greater or less protruding of the rectum, or 
lower portion of the intestines, caused by weakness, dysen- 
tery, diarrhoea, and in some instances by minute worms. It 
is most common with young children, perhaps, after eating 
green fruit ; in appearance it resembles little bags or bulbs, 
and at other times it looks like a ring of the intestines 
folded. It should be washed with warm water and dressed 



STRICTURE OF THE RECTUM. 1 79 

with a salve, made by dissolving a piece of alum the size 
of a cherry in a tablespoonful of warm water, and adding 
this to a wine-glassful of cream. This will act as an as- 
tringent, and by regulating the child's bowels the difficulty 
will be obviated. 

If the child is much relaxed, give caraway tea, anise seed 
tea, or boiled milk into which is grated nutmeg or cin- 
namon, and give injections of a tablespoonful of starch, as 
thick as cream, to which has been added a piece of alum 
as large as a cherry, dissolved in water, as directed above. 
Keep the child on a moderate diet (gruel, toast, porridge, 
puddings, etc.), for a few days, and if frequent discharges 
should continue, use the remedies given in this book under 
the head of diarrhoea. 

STRICTURE OF THE RECTUM. 

This difficulty is a very uncommon, as well as a very 
distressing one, produced by costiveness, piles, drastic pur- 
gatives, and by the matter which passes the bowels being 
hardened, and therefore tending to irritate. As the causes 
which bring them on are similar to those which produce 
piles, the treatment should be similar. The parts should 
be bathed with soap and warm water, after which the salve 
or ointment named for fissure may be used with benefit. 
The same diet as that advised for the use of those who 
have piles can be followed when this affection exists ; bread 
made of the coarse or unbolted graham flour, and the corn 
and rye meals ; the use of oat-meal is recommended as 
well as the various vegetables that tend to keep the 
bowels open. 

If the stricture remains obstinate, give an injection of 
one teacupful gruel, one teaspoonful shavings of castile 
soap, and two teaspoonfuls glycerine mixed. 



ISO OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



FISSURE OF THE ANUS. 

This is both sore and troublesome, most painful to en- 
dure, and difficult to cure. It is caused by a contracting of 
the muscles, or a muscle, and is a crack, or similar to a 
large chap, such as comes on the hands. Effort must be 
made to soften and lubricate the place with ointments and 
injections, and the following may be used : — 

Sweet cream i gill 

Flour sulphur I teaspoonful 

Borax 1-2 " 

Rosin large as chestnut 

Melt rosin, mix, and rub well together, and pass some up 
the passage. Or — 

Mutton tallow 2 tablespoonfuls 

Glycerine, sweet oil, or cream . 1 " 

Flour sulphur 1 teaspoonful 

Tannin 10 grains (even teaspoonful) 

Mix, and rub well together ; pass some up the passage and 
rub upon the sore place. 

Relief will be afforded by bathing the parts in castile 
soap and warm water as hot as agreeable. 



DIABETES 

Is an immoderate flow of the urine. There are two species 
of this complaint ; the first is that in which there is an 
unusually large discharge of clear and natural urine ; and 
the second that in which the urine is charged with sugar, 
in addition to there being more than the ordinary quantity ; 
the accompanying symptoms are great thirst and appetite, 
gradual loss of flesh, or emaciation, frequently passing the 
urine, till in the course of a day, the entire quantity that 



DIABETES. l8l 

comes away will exceed the whole amount of the food and 
drink taken during that time. Persons whose constitu- 
tions have become shattered, or free drinkers, are the most 
liable to be subjects, although it may attack young persons 
from various causes, such as cold, damp weather, wet feet, 
wet clothing, great exertions, irregularity in living, and not 
being warm enough when sleeping. 

In regard to the quantity of urine passed during the day, 
it is stated in Watson's ''Practice" that "the quantity 
voided is sometimes enormous, far more than could be sup- 
plied by the food and drink, although that, as I shall explain, 
is excessive too. A healthy person passes from one to three 
or four pints of urine in twenty-four hours. The quantity, 
as is well known, is liable to considerable variation, accord- 
ing to the time of the year (ordinarily more in winter), the 
amount of exercise taken, the quantity of food and drink 
taken, and the amount of perspiration. The average quan- 
tity is about forty ounces, but patients with diabetes will 
in some cases void forty pints in the same time. I have 
myself seen twenty-six pints ; thirteen or fourteen are not 
uncommon, and cases are recorded by writers of veracity 
in which seventy pints were voided daily." 

The fact of the urine's containing sugar was accidentally 
discovered by a patient in St. Bartholomew Hospital, who 
noticed that upon the spots where some few drops had 
been spilled, there was visible a white powder, or substance, 
about which the flies gathered ; another patient of Dr. 
Mclntire's observed the same powder upon his stocking, 
which had by chance been slightly wet ; while another 
complained that there was a dry white powder on his black 
pantaloons, that had been stained. One patient in the 
Edinburgh Infirmary noticed the flies and wasps that 
were attracted about the vessel in the room that he was 
occupying. 

Patients affected with this disease suffer greatly from 



I 82 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

thirst, and when drink has been denied them, have been 
known to take almost any liquid within reach. Examina- 
tions after death have shown the bladder and kidneys to be 
diseased. 

But this, as other diseases, requires treatment directed 
towards the root or fountain of the trouble : it is coupled 
with dropsy, for the reason that it sometimes ends in or 
with it ; there are three objects to be kept in view in this 
ailment : — 

First, To restore the digestive apparatus. Second, To 
cut off or restrict as much as possible the supply of 
saccharine matter. TJiird, To mitigate or remove the dis- 
tressing symptoms. 

For foods we would suggest salt meats and salt fish ; and 
when the patient is near the salt water, or can get clams 
to eat them, — boiled, roasted, fried, stewed, and every way 
they can be cooked, — and in every case drink the water 
which comes from them in boiling. Salt water will not make 
sugar, and may be safely taken. When eating a clam 
diet, bathe the body and limbs with vinegar, in which 
wormwood has been steeped ; put a little salt into water or 
tea for a constant drink. After trying this for a few days, 
change and drink acid waters; such as lemonade, tamarind 
or cream of tartar water, and bathe the body and limbs 
with salt and rum, rubbing the skin dry with flannels. 

GRAVEL. 

A collection of small grains of alkali, acid, or salts in the 
kidneys, ureters, or bladder sometimes being present in a 
form like dust, and being deposited in the urine. When it 
is allowed to stand, such deposit resembling brick-dust ; at 
other times it is like grains of sand, of a dark, reddish 
color. When the disease has reached this stage, the 
patient is often attacked by severe pains, such as would be 
termed excruciating:. 



INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS. 1 83 

We remember a case in Cambridge in which the man 
was ordered to take some old cider, which gave immediate 
relief. Another excellent remedy is to eat honey at 
meals or between ; we know of several cases that have 
been cured by this simple method, simply eating honey 
freely, six or eight times daily. The following is highly 
beneficial : — 

Acetate potash , ... 1-2 ounce 

Clear honey 2 " 

Fir balsam . . . 1 drachm 

Mint water or essence 8 ounces 

Dose, one tablespoonful three times a day. 
Eat raw onions, mustard, and horse-radish freely with 
the food, and use for drink mint tea. 



INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS 

Is known by pain and aching in the small of the back or 
about the loins. There are other pains shooting upwards 
along the spine as far as the base of the brain, and down- 
wards to the groin and thighs ; but the strongest indi- 
cation is afforded by the urine, which is high colored, like 
molasses and water, or reddish, as though tinged with 
blood, while a sediment, either a reddish brick-dust color, 
or light colored and albuminous, will settle in the urine 
when allowed to stand over-night. The disease is most 
frequently, if not always, connected with inflammation or 
irritation of the bladder, and the treatment should be the 
same as adopted for that complaint. 

This difficulty is brought on by strains, falls, violent 
exercise, or improper food or drink which stimulate the 
kidneys. In some constitutions checking the perspiration 
will bring on an irritation, shown by aching pains and an 
inability to move. Heat should be applied to the back and 



184 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

loins by flannels wrung out of hot rum and water, in which 
wormwood or camomile flowers have been steeped, and 
these cloths should be changed often. In some cases dry 
heat answers better than moist, and hot bricks may be 
applied, the feet bathed in hot water, in which has been 
dissolved a spoonful of saleratus. 

The bowels should be kept well open by a tonic laxative, 
such as the following : — 

Extract butternut ...» ...... 1 ounce 

Extract dandelion . 1 " 

Dissolve in one quart of water, and add four ounces honey 
and half a teaspoonful cayenne pepper; dose, tablespoonful 
three times a day, taken before eating. To make this 
tonic back in the country take — 

Inner bark of butternut 1-2 pound 

Dandelion roots 1-2 " 

Black-cherry bark '.1-2 " 

Milkweed roots 1-2 " 

Steep for three hours in two quarts of water, strain, and 
add — 

Cayenne pepper ........ 1-2 teaspoonful 

Saleratus 1 " 

Alcohol 1 gill 

Sweeten with honey or molasses, and bottle the whole 
(about three pints) ; dose, one tablespoonful before eating. 

For tea take saffron, yarrow, elecampane, slippery elm, 
or gum arabic, dissolved. 

Tea and coffee, if used, should be weak, and spirituous 
liquors avoided. If the urine is diminished in quantity, or 
does not pass away readily, take twenty drops of sweet 
spirits of nitre in a spoonful of water, repeating this four 
or five times a day ; and nitre mixed with rum and water, 
and cloths laid on the back over the kidneys, will often 
afford immediate relief. 



RETENTION OR SUPPRESSION OF THE URINE. 1 85 



INFLAMMATION OF THE BLADDER. 

This complaint is manifested by pain in the region of 
the bladder, frequent and painful discharges of urine, which 
is high colored, and has a sediment like brick-dust, or is 
bloody, milky, albuminous, or stringy. In most cases of 
this nature the kidneys or prostrate gland, or both, are 
affected. In the mild -form it may be relieved by the fol- 
lowing : — 

Pennyroyal 2 ounces 

Yarrow . . 2 " 

Canada snake-root , . . 1-2 " 

Steep slowly, covered over for three hours in a quart of 
water, strain, and drink a wine-glassful every two or three 
hours ; drink also slippery-elm juice or strained tea; place 
over the bladder a bag or compress of wormwood as large 
as the two hands, which has been dipped in vinegar as 
hot as can be borne, and let this be changed as often as it 
cools. The bowels must be kept free with some such lax- 
ative medicine as the following : — 

Butternut bark 1-4 pound 

Dandelion root , 1-4 " 

Steep in a quart of water, reducing it to a pint ; dose, a 
tablespoonful, morning and evening. If there is constipa- 
tion, and it is obstinate, give injections of soapsuds as 
warm as can be endured. 



RETENTION OR SUPPRESSION OF THE URINE. 

As indicated by the name, this ailment exists when the 
person is unable to pass any water, or very little, and as 
may be supposed, is a most distressing complaint. The 
causes that produce this condition may be inflammation or 



1 86 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

gravel in the bladder, or it may be inflammation or spas- 
modic contraction of the neck of the bladder. 

Steam the patient over a decoction of bitter herbs or 
hops, the same as would be done for inflammation ; place 
the patient in a cane-seat chair, with a blanket around him, 
and the decoction where the steam can come up under the 
blanket, with the feet in hot water, and drink freely of tea 
made of chickweed, pumpkin seed, gum arabic, or slippery 
elm ; or half a teaspoonful of sweet spirits of nitre, every 
half hour, in a tablespoonful of tea or mint water. 

After steaming for twenty minutes, put the herbs into a 
flannel bag, and apply it over the bladder as hot as is con- 
venient : give an injection of mint water, a pint, as warm 
as the patient can endure. Should there be a failure to 
obtain relief, a physician should at once be called in to 
draw the water, which operation should be performed by a 
medical man, or one who has been instructed. 



WETTING THE BED. 

This is a trouble common to the little ones, almost 
wholly so, and is well known to nurses and mothers. No 
blame whatever should attach to the child, as is often 
done, because the act is one wholly beyond his power to 
control. The cause must be carefully looked for, and may 
be found to result either from a condition of the urine, or 
from the presence of worms in the rectum. Drinking 
freely during the after-part of the day may tend to develop 
this trouble, as also may sleeping on the back. Another 
cause may be neglect to take the child up during the hours 
of evening sleep, which are of long duration. See that the 
child relieves its bladder just before going to bed, and also 
that it is taken out of bed in the night for the same pur- 
pose ; do not allow him to drink too freely in the evening, 
and teach him to sleep upon the right side, instead of his 



SECRET BAD HABITS. 1 87 

back. Tying a cloth or towel around him, in such manner 
as to bring a knot directly under the spine when lying on 
the back, has been advised and found to be an effectual 
way of preventing this position in sleeping, when the 
knot can be secured so as to keep its place. (See remedy 
for nightmare.) It will be seen that the object is to make 
lying on the back uncomfortable. Make a tea or decoction 
of black-cherry bark and yarrow leaves, equal parts, add to 
it a little cinnamon or allspice, and let this be taken fre- 
quently during the day ; do not let tea or coffee be used, 
nor the child be exposed to cold and dampness ; also pre- 
vent the use of salt food, as it creates a continual thirst. 

SECRET BAD HABITS. 

The evil consequences of these most serious and repre- 
hensible practices on the part of the young, who have 
passed the age of puberty, cannot be too strongly spoken of 
and condemned, nor can the dangers be explained in too 
strong language, or the young of both sexes be too forcibly 
impressed with the necessity of avoiding everything of the 
kind. Parents should be watchful over their children, and 
not allow them, in their ignorance, to go on with these 
habits that have been contracted, until their systems are 
so exhausted of blood and debilitated that physicians and 
observant persons often remark, " Something must be the 
matter with that young man, or woman." 

Very many persons in youth by this means, and the in- 
voluntary discharges that occur at night as a consequence, 
plant in their systems the seeds of incurable disease, which 
develop in after-life, and which, for want of a better name, 
is called consumption. Young and old, whose attention 
has not been called to this subject, do not realize that the 
seminal fluid which is thus drawn away is the vital prin- 
ciple of the blood, brain, and nervous system, and that 



1 88 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

each emission or discharge is a draft upon the citadel of 
life, equal to eight or twelve ounces of blood, and this 
speedily undermines the strongest constitutions ; for who 
could endure bleeding at this rate — for such it virtually is. 

The appearance of any young person who is addicted to 
this practice is such that they may readily be distin- 
guished from those who are not thus unfortunate. The 
effects upon both sexes are such as to destroy confidence 
in themselves, and to cause them to avoid the company of 
the opposite sex, and to act as though ashamed of them- 
selves, as though this practice was known to their compan- 
ions, and they abhorred by them. If the family physician 
is summoned they may not acknowledge to him that they 
are given to this habit. We see no impropriety, but 
regard it as a duty on the part of fathers and mothers to 
examine into this matter, and to warn the young of the 
frightful consequences that are sure to follow such prac- 
tices. 

We find upon research and careful observation, that 
nearly all the diseases that affect our race may be, and are, 
traceable to improper and inordinate indulgence, or exciting 
sexual passion ; and not the least among these are idiocy, 
insanity, consumption, palsy, epilepsy, apoplexy, neuralgia, 
dropsy, and barrenness, or inability to beget offspring, — 
which is one great object of life. Parents and guardians 
should not blame the young for sinning against their own 
souls ; it is an undesirable inheritance, often ''visiting the 
children unto the third and fourth generations." 

Do not apply to any of the quack doctors, many of 
whom have been shoemakers, or blacksmiths, until within 
three months, who advertise to cure everything of the 
kind, but make a thorough trial of some of the remedies 
that we name. First of all, the habit must be abandoned, 
and at the same time keep the mind entirely free from all 
exciting thoughts. Vile pictures and improper conversation 



BLOODY URINE. 1 50, 

must be strictly avoided; eat little meat, — but freely of 
vegetable diet. To quiet the mind and assist in securing 
sleep of a sound nature, take before retiring half a tea- 
cupful of hop tea, into which put twenty drops of camphor ; 
and during the day take, before each meal, a tablespoonful 
of the following : — 

Bromide of potash 1-4 ounce 

Ginger (pulverized) 1 teaspoonful 

In one pint of water. Rub the back and groins with cold 
hop tea, or rum and salt, vinegar and salt, or saleratus 
water. It is much better to sleep on a mattress than on a 
feather-bed. 

SCALDING URINE. 

Sometimes when passing the urine the feeling produced 
by the act is most unpleasant and painful, and is as though 
the urine was excessively hot and almost scalding in its 
passage. The feeling is due to an inflamed condition of 
the sphincter of the bladder and urethra, which is increased 
by the use of alcoholic liquors, superabundance of bile, or 
sexual excitement. The treatment should be to take tea 
made of yarrow, queen of the meadow, or camomile ; dose, 
a wine-glassful three times a day ; and before retiring add 
twenty drops of camphor in half a wine-glass of the tea. 
To a half pint of water add a tablespoonful of gum arabic, 
or a teaspoonful of slippery elm, ground flaxseed, ground 
rice or oatmeal, and use it freely for a drink. 



BLOODY URINE. 

When such a condition is present, it may be taken as an 
indication or symptom of some disease, not being such in 
itself, or be caused by some external injury, or originate in 
the kidneys or bladder. This discharge of blood in the 



I90 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

urine is a dangerous sign, and at the start, or as soon as 
ascertained, the case ought to be placed in the care of a 
skilful physician. The presence of blood may usually be 
detected by the color of the urine, or by the sediment 
deposited. The more accurate means or tests of deciding 
are by the use of the microscope, or by raising the liquid 
to the boiling point ; but these more positive tests belong 
to the physician. For ordinary purposes a piece of white 
cloth can be clipped into the urine when it has not settled ; 
and if blood is present the cloth, when dry, will appear 
discolored. 

The causes that bring on this condition are various, 
obscure, and not understood by the uninformed, but are 
in many instances perplexing to the physician, and difficult 
to relieve and cure. By way of a plain treatment, a strong 
decoction of green peach-tree leaves taken frequently dur- 
ing the day, is said to be beneficial ; also hot fomentations 
applied to the lower part of the abdomen, over the bladder. 
The following may also be given with advantage, such as a 
decoction made of — 

Buchu leaves . . . . 1-4 ounce 

Yarrow 1-4 " 

Steeped in a pint of water ; take for a dose one table- 
spoonful every three hours ; or — 

Balsam copaiba 1-2 ounce 

Pulverized cubebs 1 drachm 

Paregoric 1 teaspoonful. 

Alcohol 2 ounces 

Water 2 " 

Dose, a teaspoonful three times a day. The patient should 
live on a low and cooling diet. See that the bowels are 
kept free from costiveness, and zvhen there is a desire to 
pass the water, never delay or hold back, but attend to it at 



FEVERS. 191 

once ; and as stated in the first part of this article, we 
advise, in cases of this sort, if the symptoms do not yield 
in two or three days, calling in a physician. 



FEVERS. 

Fever stands at the head of all diseases, and fever and 
ague at the head of all fevers ; all diseases begin with 
fever, preceded by chills, and so long as chills and fever 
are present we have an indication of disease. Whatever 
reduces fever, and restores the natural functions of the 
body, gives health. 

The character of this class of diseases is known by an 
increase of heat, accelerated pulse, foul tongue, pain in the 
head, back, and an impaired condition of several of the 
functions of the body. • As a definition of fever in general, 
we may say that it is an increased action of the heart and 
arteries to expel from the system irritating, poisonous, or 
diseased matter, and to restore the subject to health. 
During its continuance nature seems to be laboring to 
throw off something that oppresses or offends her, and in 
this effort becomes excited. If fevers are fatal in many 
cases, it is more from maltreatment than from the disease 
itself. 

Typhoid, bilious, intermittent, and remittent fevers, all 
commence in the same way (with chills and aches), and if 
treated promptly require remedies similar in kind and 
quantity. We quote Watson's " London Practice" : "We 
hear continually, both in and out of the profession, differ- 
ent species of fever spoken of — typhus, bilious, intermit- 
tent, remittent, slow, inflammatory, brain, putrid, nervous, 
gastric, hectic, black, rheumatic, yellow, spotted, puerperal, 
hay-fever, etc. Now, admitting that fever shows itself 
under different forms, I am persuaded that the effect upon 
the mind of all this sub-division is bad and hurtful. There 



I92 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

is no line of genuine distinction between the continued 
fevers that can be relied upon. They run imperceptibly 
into each other, even the most dissimilar of them, and are 
traceable to the same cause, or contagion. The ancients 
attributed various disorders to a fermentation of the 
animal fluids ; the cause of fever, according to Hippoc- 
rates, was some morbid matter in the blood, which theory 
is nearly the same as that taught by Liebig in the nine- 
teenth century" — while the more ancient thought diseases 
of all kinds the working of evil spirits in the patient, to 
be got rid of by incantations, prayers, and fasting, as 
spoken of by Jesus and the apostles. All fevers do not 
commence in the same way, and the common-sense method 
is to treat each according to its symptoms as they are de- 
veloped. 

Fever will continue, or have its run, unless broken up 
by treatment, — such as warm baths, hot-water applications 
to the feet, taking drinks of warm tea, keeping the bowels 
open, inducing perspiration, and bathing the body all over 
in saleratus water, or in acid water, — this latter made of 
one part vinegar and two parts water. Continue bathing 
with either the acid or the alkali wash, according to which 
affords the most relief. We find that during fevers, while 
one patient will be benefited by an acid bath, another will 
be helped by saleratus water. These washes should be 
used blood warm. 

The causes of fevers are cold, damp localities, exposure, 
irregular habits, excitement, great exertion, joy, grief, 
malaria, or contagion from low lands, or epidemics. 

The symptoms are well known in all countries, and by 
all classes of people, but it may be well to name them, and 
point out rules for treatment. They consist of chills, fol- 
lowed by a hot, dry skin, quick pulse, languid feeling of 
distress, loss of appetite, thirst, coated tongue, bad breath, 
restlessness, loss of strength, headache, backache, and the 



FEVERS. I93 

secretions that pass from the body are diminished ; the 
blood, brain, and nervous system are deranged, and the five 
senses imperfect and unreliable. 

When the circulation of the blood at the surface of the 
body is obstructed from any cause, the blood is thrown back 
upon the heart and lungs, and the natural result is that the 
heart strives to relieve itself of the increased burden, and 
a warm bath or good sweat in bed should be given to 
equalize the circulation. When the circulation is restored 
throughout all the organs and parts of the body, the patient 
will desire food, and may gradually have stimulants and 
tonics, such as cordials, wine-bitters, fruits, jellies, etc., which 
should be taken in moderation, but not just before retiring. 

Many have been killed by treatment instead of the dis- 
ease. Within our recollection the custom was to give a 
fever patient an emetic, calomel, bleed and blister him, 
but give him nothing to eat or drink, — no water inside 
or out. The practice was to bleed " until fainting was the 
effect;" and some physicians have seen three or four 
pints drawn before producing that effect. 

The first thing to do when indications of a fever show 
themselves is to get the patient into bed ; put hot bricks, 
bottles of hot water, bags of hot sand, or, better still, of 
salt, at the feet and sides ; give drinks of pleurisy root, 
balm, saffron, or peppermint tea to produce sweating. In 
some slight cases of fever, two hours sweating is sufficient 
to break up the disease ; but in others, some six or eight 
hours of this treatment are needed before the headache 
and backache disappear ; then wash the body all over with 
warm water, rub dry, and, if desired, give gruel, tea, toast 
water, etc. 

After resting sixteen or twenty hours, take a gentle lax- 
ative, such as castor oil in peppermint ; or chew small 
pieces of rhubarb, as large as a pea, and swallow the saliva. 
A very good laxative and blood purifier is made thus : — 



194 0UR HOME DOCTOR. 

Flour of sulphur I tablespoonful 

Cream of tartar 1-2 " 

Pulverized charcoal 1-4 " 

Cayenne pepper 1-2 teaspoonful 

Molasses 1 teacupful 

Mix well ; dose, half a teaspoonful on an empty stomach 
once or twice a day. If traces of fever appear, wash the 
body, and especially the head, chest, and arms, with sale- 
ratus water, half a teaspoonful to a pint of water ; for a 
drink, give tamarind water, lemonade, very sour ; eat inside 
of lemons ; cream of tartar in water, or citrate of magnesia, 
and tea of camomile flowers, and sage alternately ; give 
injection of half pint soapy water with half a teaspoonful 
of saleratus. If after a day or two you find that the fever 
is increasing, and that you cannot control it, call in your 
physician. 

In cases of wandering, or slight insanity, shave the back 
of the head, and put on a blister that will reach nearly from 
ear to ear ; flannel wrung out in hot water (in which a tea- 
spoonful of mustard has been put) can be placed over the 
pit of the stomach ; to draw the blood from the head, there 
may be applied to the feet burdock leaves taken hot out of 
vinegar, to which mustard has been added. Great care 
should be taken to keep the bowels free, and to see that the 
urine passes in sufficient quantity. 

A German physician of large practice and great expe- 
rience claims that fevers at the outset may be treated, and 
most successfully checked, by immersing the patient in 
water as warm as the temperature of the body, then grad- 
ually cooling the water to fifty or even to forty degrees, 
then rubbing and drying thoroughly, and putting to bed. 
We think this method would be productive of good, and is 
easily tried where a bath-tub is in the house ; and for want 
of a bath-tub, sponge the body ail over with warm water, 



FEVER AND AGUE. 1 95 

and a teaspoonful of soda or saleratus to the quart of water, 
and repeat it as often as it dries, until the patient feels 
cool. 

FEVER AND AGUE. 

This form of disease stands at the head of all fevers, and 
is marked by three distinct stages or periods : the first is 
that of chills or cold, in which the patient shakes from 
head to foot, the teeth chatter as though moved by some 
rapid perpetual motion, and no amount of clothing or of 
heat from the fire will enable the patient to feel warm. 
The feeling is often described like that which would be pro- 
duced by cold water running down the back. When this 
chill passes off the second begins ; the patient complains 
of heat, and a fever which begins with hot, dry skin, hard, 
quick pulse, aching in the head, back, and all over the body. 
This lasts for several hours, and is followed by the third or 
sweating period, which is accompanied by lassitude and 
want of energy to do anything ; and unless some remedy 
is adopted, these same symptoms will return again, usually 
on the third day. 

This disease prevails to the greatest extent in the West- 
ern and Southern States in this country, where sluggish 
rivers, lakes, and ponds are located, where vegetation is 
rank, and the hot sun generates miasma. In such districts 
this malady may be expected in the fall of the year, and is 
caused in innumerable instances by sitting in the sun, and 
to a greater or less extent by the damp evening air. 

Fever and ague are sometimes manifested in New Eng- 
land ; in fact, in the State of Connecticut cases of it are 
very numerous. In a few instances it appears in Vermont, 
Maine, or New Hampshire. It has often been asserted by 
clear-headed and thinking persons in various parts of the 
world, that nature has provided in the vegetable kingdom 
remedies, preventives, and specifics for all the ills and dis- 



I96 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

eases incident to each locality ; " and as the virtues of 
botanical remedies are being developed and understood, 
the evidence of the truth of this statement is strong. The 
three cardinal points in the question are, first, if there 
are such remedies, they are accessible ; second, they are 
cheap ; and, third, they are harmless, and are, therefore, to 
be recommended to the poorer classes. One of these is the 
bark of willow sprouts, which may either be made into a 
decoction, or dried, pulverized, and taken in molasses; 
it is a very bitter medicine, and will likely cause vomiting 
as well as purging, but, both being beneficial, should be 
encouraged. If this bark will cure ague, as claimed, it 
would appear as though Providence had placed the remedy 
and the disease side by side, for willows abound in low, 
marshy lands. Holly leaves have in France the same 
repute as willow bark in America. 

In the hospital at Leghorn, Italy, Doctor Gordini made 
trials of piperine, and reported that doses of six or eight 
grains cured intermittent often when the sulphate of quin- 
ine failed ; and with the lower class the belief has prevailed 
that a teaspoonful of red pepper in a glass of gin, brandy, 
rum, or whiskey will cure ague. 

Notwithstanding the remedies named thus far, the one in 
almost universal use in this country is quinine, and the 
best compound of it which we have been able to find is 
the following : — 

Sulphate quinine 30 grains 

Ferrocyanuret of iron (Prussian blue) ... 60 " 

Pulverized extract podophyllin 30 " 

Pulverized cayenne pepper ....... 60 " 

Pulverized hardwood charcoal 60 " 

Mix, and divide into twenty powders ; dose, two every two 
hours, with a glass of spirits, after symptoms of chills, until 
the same are over and sweating begins ; one powder for a 



FEVER AND AGUE. 197 

youth ten or fifteen years of age, and half of a powder for 
a child five to seven years of age. 

On the first indications of a chill, take two of the powders 
in molasses, then get into a warm bath, if one can be had ; 
if not, take a large tub and fill it half full of water as hot 
as can be borne, put into it a tablespoonful of mustard, or 
a teaspoonful of cayenne pepper ; place a low chair in the 
tub, and let the patient be seated upon it, with a blanket 
or comforter thrown over him. The limbs may be bathed 
in the water for ten or twenty minutes, according to the 
feeling or relief experienced by the patient. Then rub him 
dry, wrap in flannels, and give hot drinks of camomile tea, 
with a strong sprinkling of cayenne pepper ; or if not to be 
had, give mint or pleurisy-root tea to excite warmth and 
drive the circulation to the surface of the body. 

We have been informed by men who have had the ague 
at a distance from cities and apothecaries, that they have 
broken up the chills by the free use of whiskey or gin, 
with hot water and molasses, in each glass of which was 
mixed half a teaspoonful of flour of sulphur, and one-fourth 
teaspoonful of cayenne pepper. In a case under such cir- 
cumstances we would advise the willow-bark decoction, to 
which can be added a sprinkling of cayenne pepper, while 
the feet can be put into hot water, as before directed. 

A light diet of gruel, rice water, barley water, or oat- 
meal porridge, with syrup or milk, can be eaten ; and 
after a few days, the chills being broken up, the patient 
may eat more freely, and partake of a little stimulant, such 
as a cordial or negus. 

Another remedy that is accessible, and claimed to be 
effective in many instances when the chills are coming on, 
is a lemon (with a tip or end cut off), filled with salt and 
eaten (eat several). 

When the patient has the ague without the shakes, it is 
called the dumb ague, and is much more distressing and 



I90 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

unbearable than when the shaking is present, the chills 
being almost a relief. 

We have been informed by several reliable persons who 
had suffered greatly with fever and ague, that they effected 
a thorough and lasting cure by the following simple, cheap, 
and easily-obtained remedy, of which we advise all sufferers 
to make a trial : Make some thoroughwort tea, and take 
some of it a dozen or more times a day, — it may be upon 
the back of the stove to keep it warm. It may cause purg- 
ing and vomiting, but both will be beneficial. A Western 
physician expert treated twenty cases with five drops of 
nitric acid, in half a wine-glass of sweetened water, every 
four hours -for forty hours ; in nineteen out of twenty the 
fever was cured. 



SCARLET FEVER. 

This derives its name from the color of the eruptions on 
the skin. It is a disease generally attacking children and 
infants, but adults are sometimes subject to it, and in their 
cases it is much more to be dreaded. It may be divided 
or classed into three varieties, the simple, the severe, and 
the malignant. Simple scarlet fever may be described as 
that in which the skin is florid, without any trouble in 
the throat ; severe is that in which the skin and throat 
are involved ; malignant is that in which the throat is in- 
volved, often including the eyes, nose, and ears ; the 
throat is sore from the fauces and roots of the tongue 
along down over the glottis, causing difficulty in swallow- 
ing ; the hearing is affected in one or both ears, often 
because of a running which terminates in sores ; the nose 
often bleeds, and there is a soreness reaching from the 
upper lip up towards the top of the head ; the eyes are 
weak, sore, and troubled by light, and the lids swollen. 
The attack usually begins with a chill or shivering, fol- 



SCARLET FEVER. 1 99 

lowed by vomiting or diarrhoea, or both ; the sore throat 
often begins before the eruption appears. The fever, 
headache, and prostration are not always in proportion to 
the severity of the disease. 

In mild cases children do not get to bed, and the stage 
of fever passes off in twenty-four hours. The eruption 
appears usually on the second day, but in exceptional cases 
before, or it may be one, two, or three days later, in which 
case it is delayed by some obstruction or irregularity in the 
system ; it commonly appears about the neck and chest 
first, though sometimes on the arms and body. 

It is sometimes ushered in by spasms or convulsions, 
more especially in the cases of children who are teething. 
When such is the case, put the child in a warm bath, fol- 
lowed by warm drinks of balm, mint, or saffron tea, to 
induce a perspiration. 

The eruptions are not large pimples, like those of 
chicken-pox, but are fine points, as though pepper had 
been sprinkled on the skin, nor are they all of uniform size, 
or the same color ; pressure upon them with the finger 
will drive away the redness for a momentary period ; and 
in mild cases they are out more or less for two or three 
days, and are most vivid when the skin is delicate or 
tender, as, for instance, on the thighs, arms, and arm-pits. 
The eruption is generally at its height on the third day, 
and remains visible for four or six days, and not always 
in proportion to the severity of the disease, because when 
the fever is great, and the eruption does not shozv, it has 
evidently turned inward upon the tJiroat, which is highly 
inflamed, as also the fauces and tonsils, in which there will 
be a tendency towards ulceration. 

The fever is often more severe after the eruption. Scar- 
let fever is both contagious and infectious, and, fortunately 
for mortals, it attacks the same person but once, although 
eminent physicians report cases in which it has been three 



200 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

times clearly marked in the same patient. We strongly 
condemn in some physicians the practice of deceiving their 
patients and attendants by telling them, when asked if 
scarlet fever is the disease, " No ; only a light scarlatina." 
Recently a middle-aged lady of decided opinions, in 
speaking of an illness, asserted that it was not typhus 
fever, but typus only. When we tried to convince her of 
her doctor's whim, she asserted and repeated the imaginary 
distinction with decided emphasis. 

As in all other diseases, the treatment in this is as vari- 
able as the views of the physicians who have charge of the 
cases. " Prof. W. T. Gairdner attaches more importance 
to inhaling steam from hot water than to any other rem- 
edy ; this can be done by inverting a funnel over a bowl 
of hot water or mint tea, and breathing through the small 
end. Some German physicians recommend the applica- 
tion of bacon fat, in the form of a rind of bacon rubbed 
over the body ; this was adopted in the country, but a 
pleasanter substitute, in the form of glycerine, sweet oil, 
cream, or fresh butter ; and rose water, or cologne, is rec- 
ommended, viz. one tablespoonful of glycerine and one of 
butter to two or three of rose water or cologne ; rub all 
over the body." 

The patient should be kept warm ; drink balm, catnip, 
or mint tea, and take gruel, rice water, thin oatmeal 
gruel, etc. 

One of the best gargles for sore throat is two drachms 
of chlorate of potash, dissolved in a gill of water, with a 
teaspoonful of honey ; dose, a teaspoonful, to gargle and 
spit out, and a teaspoonful to swallow. An excellent rem- 
edy is sweet spirits of nitre ; a dose for a child is half a 
teaspoonful in tablespoonful of water, or mint tea, every 
hour. It is cooling and diuretic. A medicine of the fol- 
lowing parts has been used in the Indies and other warm 
countries in throat affections, viz. : — 



YELLOW FEVER. 201 

Cayenne pepper 1-2 tablespoonful 

Salt < . 1 teaspoonful 

Boiling water , . . 1-2 pint 

Stir, then add cider vinegar . . . . 1-2 " 

After standing for an hour, strain through fine muslin ; 
dose for adult, a half teaspoonful every half hour. This 
preparation has been found to be of great service in clean- 
ing the throat and fauces. If vomiting, or diarrhoea, or 
both, are present, they may be regarded as beneficial and 
ought not to be checked immediately. The chance of re- 
covery is best when the eruption is florid and stands out 
well ; after a few days, the cuticle peels off, like a thin 
glove, in fragments. In cases of the malignant type, we 
advise applying cloths wrung out in wormwood, steeped in 
rum and water, or vinegar and water, with a little cayenne 
pepper added, and a tablespoonful of borax dissolved in it ; 
let the cloths be changed as often as they become cool ; 
if there is much fever in the head and throat, bathe the 
feet often in water (in which there has been mustard 
sprinkled), in order to draw the blood from the head ; bathe 
the head in vinegar, spirit, or water. 

YELLOW FEVER. 

"The question has been much discussed," says 'Flint's 
Practice,' "whether this is another form of remittent fever, 
or a distinct disease. It seems upon close examination 
that they are not the same. Yellow fever prevails in 
towns, while remittent prevails most in rural districts. 
There is abundant evidence that' the cause of yellow fever 
has been imported ; but there is no evidence of remittent 
fever having ever been imported ; both yellow fever and 
remittent fever have been known individually to prevail, 
where the other was never known to appear ; remittent 
fevers are characterized by the occurrence of remissions, 



202 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

while yellow fever is devoid of remissions, and does not 
end in remittent paroxysms. The remedies which exert 
an influence over remittent fevers, such as preparations of 
cinchona, as specifics, do not exert any influence over yel- 
low fever ; also, an attack of yellow fever exempts from 
subsequent attacks, in an immense majority of cases. 
This is not the case with remittent fever ; although the 
treatment of yellow fever is not that of remittent, never- 
theless the remedies for remittent may, to some extent, be 
useful. Yellow fever is infectious, but not contagious ; 
that is, any person visiting a patient in a fever locality will 
or may take the disease ; but any one taken from the fever 
locality into the country will not communicate the disease 
to those who are exposed." 

The symptoms are a day or two of lassitude and feverish 
feeling, thirst, pain in the vicinity of the eyes, and dimin- 
ished secretions ; chills, and quickened pulse, perhaps run- 
ning up to ioo, and of a curious, faint, and uncertain 
character ; there is nausea and vomiting of green or yellow 
matter ; tongue moist, and dark in the centre. The 
patient is very wakeful, his eyes roll wildly, and he may 
be unable to see for a time ; the perspiration is yellow and 
foul-smelling; there is blood discharged from the nose 
and mouth ; the evacuations are black ; the breast, neck, 
and eyes are yellow. During the progress of the disease 
there will be changes that appear to be for the better, but 
which only pass away, leaving the patient much worse. 

The treatment is as varied as are the localities in which 
it has prevailed. In one district they use hot baths, alka- 
line washes, sponging with water hot as can be borne, in 
which a teaspoonful of saleratus, or soda, to each quart 
had been dissolved, accompanied by warm drinks of balm, 
mint, or pleurisy-root tea. In the first stage of the dis- 
ease, if vomiting and purging have not taken place, giving 
an emetic followed bv a gentle laxative ; in another section 



YELLOW FEVER. 203 

of the country hot drinks, cold applications, and gruel have 
been used ; still in other places, stimulating drinks are re- 
sorted to, — or opium, camphor, or rhubarb given in fre- 
quent doses. 

From all that we can learn of the disease and of its 
treatment, both in Europe and America, in the North and 
in the South, the symptoms, and not the disease, must be 
treated. If vomiting has taken place, and the stomach is 
well cleansed of its contents, — bile, as well as frothy mat- 
ter, — there is no cause for emetics. If the bowels have 
been evacuated there can be no need of laxative medicines ; 
if they are constipated, give an injection of a pint of gruel ; 
if the stomach will retain hot drinks, give whiskey, gin, or 
brandy, with hot water, till the patient has had from three 
to six glasses of spirit, according to what the stomach will 
bear. If the stomach rejects hot drinks, give small pieces 
of ice. There may be given injections of one-half pint 
gruel, half a teaspoonful each of laudanum and camphor, 
and two of whiskey. 

If the patient is hot and feverish, bathe and sponge the 
body with tepid water and saleratus (teaspoonful to a 
quart), and give cooling drinks of tamarind or cream tar- 
tar water, or lemonade, and use drafts on the feet of flan- 
nels wet with hot vinegar, to which has been added a little 
mustard. Should vomiting continue at intervals, give 
drinks of mint tea, into each cupful of which put a piece of 
soda, or saleratus, as large as a bean. 

If the patient is cold and shivers, give hot drinks of 
spirit, put the feet into hot water, and put mustard pastes 
over the pit of the stomach ; keep the patient warm, and 
try to induce perspiration. 

A gentleman of intelligence and veracity says that he 
has seen hundreds of cases in the South, every one of 
which recovered after being treated in the following man- 
ner : Dissolve a tablespoonful salt in a wine-glass of water, 



204 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

add the juice of one lemon, two wine-glasses of castor 
oil (or three of olive), and take the whole for a dose for an 
adult. Then soak the feet in hot water, in which put a 
teaspoonful each of mustard and salt. Put the patient to 
bed and wrap warm in blankets, and wait for a free per- 
spiration ; apply mustard plasters to the feet, legs, and 
abdomen ; if pain in the head continues, apply flannels 
wrung out of hot spirit and mustard to the temples and 
head, and give hot drinks of whiskey and water, in which 
there has been put a little cayenne, ginger, or liquid cam- 
phor. 

SPOTTED FEVER. 

This fever has not been known in Europe nor America 
during this century, and when it did appear (1780) the 
physicians and nurses were taken by surprise, not knowing 
how to deal with it. It appeared in New England, New 
York, and some of the Western States about the same 
time, and a few cases in Northern New England, and 
almost all of the cases resulted fatally. 

We remember well the accounts given fifty years ago by 
aged women, who could relate all the symptoms, changes, 
treatment, and results of cases of this fever which had 
occurred in their neighborhood ; and in 1780 families were 
attacked (in the heart of New Hampshire), surrounded by 
forests and in the vicinity of streams of pure running 
water (as pure as in any part of the world), and where 
neither vegetable nor animal disease had appeared ; where 
men and women were hard workers, lived on the plainest 
food, enjoyed almost uninterrupted health, and nearly 
every mother had a large family of children. Even in 
such places, young, and middle aged persons were seized 
with this terrible disease, with pain in the head, back, and 
finally all over the body. When asked to describe where 
the pain was greatest, they would place a hand upon the 



SCROFULA. 205 

head, then the heart, then the bowels at almost the same 
time. 

The disease made its appearance not later than March 
generally. The skill of the best physicians and nurses 
was exerted to their utmost, but without the slightest 
avail ; all kinds of hot drinks were given to induce perspir- 
ation, as well as drafts to the feet, hot fomentations to 
chest and bowels ; there was neither vomiting nor purging ; 
no one part or place alone seemed to be affected, but the 
whole body. 

A physician would be called in, and he only indorsed 
the general verdict, " never saw or heard of anything like 
it : " the patients died in twenty-four or thirty-six hours 
after being taken, but for some hours before death there 
appeared upon the body, neck, and arms, spots from the 
size of a thumb-nail to that of a quarter of a dollar, so that 
the patients thought mortification had begun, and that they 
must die. The disease was neither contagious nor infec- 
tious. Nothing can be given for the treatment, as it is 
altogether uncertain what form this type of fever might 
take, if it should ever again appear. 



SCROFULA. 

This affection, which has been long known by the name 
of king's evil, because of the prevailing belief that it could 
be cured by the touch of a king, requires at the present 
time something more effective to bring about a cure. The 
disease is well-known, and in many cases hereditary ; it 
usually makes its appearance in young persons from six or 
seven years of age up to twenty, and its presence is shown 
by the swelling of the glands of the neck, formation of 
small tumors near the ears or chin. These tumors are 
painless, of exceedingly slow growth, are liable to run 
together and form one large tumor, which ultimately 



206 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

breaks and discharges. These tumors heal slowly at best, 
leaving scars, and upon the same places the process of 
formation and discharge of tumors is again carried on. 
The abdomen may also be affected, being swollen above 
and in the groins. The presence of scrofula may also be 
indicated by a thick upper lip. 

When the affected parts swell put on a poultice of slip- 
pery elm and narrow dock ; iodine, internally, has also been 
beneficial, — from three to twelve drops of the tincture taken 
in some liquid four times a day. Taking for a while a tea 
made of dried burdock leaf has brought about very gratify- 
ing results, after being used for a few weeks. If the ulcer 
is well opened, the following dressing may be used : — 

Bayberry tallow I part 

White turpentine 2 " 

Melt and strain ; when cold spread on a piece of linen, and 
place over the spot. If the salve is too thick, thin it with 
sweet oil. For a dressing at night use the following : sim- 
mer for half an hour in soft water, two handfuls pulverized 
bayberry root, and then stir in slippery elm until the mass 
is thick enough for a poultice, which can be applied at 
night and left till morning. 

Very good results have been brought about by using 
bayberry. Iodine has also been used in dressing the sore, 
and in the early stages has been employed in painting the 
tumor, and modifying the scar. Salt-water bathing is to 
be recommended, and when out of season, put salt into 
the water used for bathing ; to eat the dulce found upon 
the shore is advisable. The following ointment may be 
used on the sores and the swellings also : — 

Tincture Iodine 2 drachms 

Lard 4 ounces 

Alcohol 2 fluid drachms 



DROPSY. 207 

Mix gradually with the lard, and use as an ointment on 
the sores and swellings. 

These small tumors indicating scrofula may appear upon 
various parts of the body, and the digestion may be 
affected. The patient may make and use the following : — 

Yellow-dock root 1 pound 

Bitter-sweet 1 " 

Boil in three or four quarts water in an iron pot ; boil 
down to two quarts, add sugar to suit, boil a few minutes, 
strain, and bottle for use, after adding enough spirit to 
preserve it, or one-eighth as much as the whole bitters ; 
dose, three or four wine-glasses a day. It may be that 
several medicines will have to be tried before anvthing is 
found that will benefit any particular case ; therefore let 
the use of one thing not be continued for a long time, 
unless an improvement is noticed. It may be fairly claimed 
that, in the end, good nutritious food, cleanliness, pure air, 
and proper exercise will do more for the scrofulous patient 
than the ordinary course of medicine. 



DROPSY. 

In this class of diseases there are abundant watery se- 
cretions in the affected parts, and to such an extent as to 
interfere with the vital functions, — those portions of the 
body being fearfully enlarged. Of this complaint there 
are several varieties, as, for instance, dropsy of the head, 
of the chest, and of the abdomen ; in addition to these are 
varieties noticed by medical writers, which practitioners are 
sometimes called upon to treat : these are dropsy of the 
heart, womb, or legs. Very little can be done for the suf- 
ferer, — bathing in a decoction of half an ounce of lobelia 
in a gallon of warm water, morning and evening. 

In all classes and cases of this disease the cause arises 



208 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

from weakness of the glandular system, or that process by 
which the absorption of fluids is effected. The head has 
been known to swell to an enormous size, the bones 
separating at their sutures or junctions, and the brain 
being sometimes softened or destroyed. This disease 
often runs in certain families, and attacks children between 
the ages of four and ten years ; in some cases the functions 
of the body are not impaired until a short time previous to 
death. 

Scarcely anything can be done to prolong life, which 
seldom lasts beyond the twentieth year. In one case the 
head measured forty-four inches around, and the patient 
retained his senses ; it is recommended to eat freely of 
cayenne, mustard, and radishes with the food. 

RICKETS. 

This is a disease of children, and its presence indicates 
that the system is lacking in those mineral salts by means 
of which the bones are formed, and from which they de- 
rive their strength ; they, therefore, become soft, tough, 
and flexible, more of the nature of gristle, instead of being 
firm and solid, as they must be in order to perform their 
functions properly. This disease usually appears in chil- 
dren between the ages of four and seven years, and its 
presence is shown by enlarged abdomen, loss of flesh, slow 
and unsatisfactory teething ; and the teeth when formed 
are brittle, break easily, and are not firm in the jaws ; the 
joints are swollen, the head large, forehead bulging or 
prominent, neck small, bodily growth slow, and whole ap- 
pearance pale and sickly. In many cases this disease may 
be shown by the legs, which will be weak and give out and 
be unable to support the weight of the body. The ankles 
will be affected with a swelling, while the little patient will 
tumble about on his weak legs and receive occasional falls. 



GOUT. 209 

In severe cases the spine is affected, but while the phy- 
sical system is weakened, the mental faculties seem to be 
wonderfully developed, so that the child is precocious. 

The causes which bring on rickets are believed to be de- 
fective nursing, improper food, want of pure air and clean- 
liness ; and it may often be traced to a scrofulous condition 
in one or both parents. 

As a course of treatment let the child be taken to the 
sea-shore, if the season will admit of it, and encourage 
bathing in and rubbing the parts affected with salt water ; 
eat freely of the dulce found at the shore ; give a liberal 
diet, including vegetables largely, as well as fruits, and 
bread made of unbolted flour, oatmeal, cornmeal, rye, and 
graham flour. Female children should be kept in a reclin- 
ing position as much as possible, to avoid any chance of a 
malformation of the pelvic bones. Attention to the diet, 
as well as time, will be needed to bring about a change for 
the better, but, in the meantime, the iron tonic may be 
taken. This is made by putting a handful of new nails in 
a quart bottle and filling it with cider ; dose, a tablespoon- 
ful half an hour before eating. The physical system can 
be benefited by sponging the body with rum and water, 
then wiping thoroughly dry. Saffron and yarrow tea may 
be taken before eating in the morning and evening, and the 
iron tonic at noon. 



GOUT. 

There is no disease in the catalogue that is more painful, 
and yet none in which the sufferer receives less svmpathy, 
in fact, is so much laughed at. As a general rule, an attack 
of this complaint begins about midnight, and is not pre- 
ceded by any warning or premonitory symptoms, unless it 
be flatulency, indigestion, poor appetite, or more or less 
disturbed condition of the stomach. 



2IO OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

The patient is awakened by a pain in the foot, in the 
joint of the great toe, or in the heel, and possibly with the 
whole foot affected ; this pain increases in severity until it 
becomes intolerable, and seems to include all sorts of feel- 
ings, such as that of coldness, aching, crushing, and burn- 
ing ; the patient cannot bear to have any weight upon it, 
or to have it touch anything, not even the bed-clothes, and 
in vain are all efforts made during the continuance of the 
attack to place the foot in some position where it will be 
made comfortable. After lasting for a period of twenty- 
four hours, the trouble passes away (and this in some 
cases it does gradually, while in others it will apparently 
vanish all at once), and the sufferer drops asleep, being 
covered with a perspiration, the attack seeming to pass 
away with this sweating, or at its approach. 

Upon examination the foot is found to be red and 
swollen, the skin having a shining appearance. Similar 
attacks, but less violent, will follow on the succeeding 
nights for some time, passing away like the first, till in a 
short time they cease altogether, and the disease has 
apparently gone for good. Such is not the fact, however, 
as in nearly all cases, unless great care is used, there will 
be another appearance of the malady, though perhaps not 
for some years. This second attack will be followed by 
another within a shorter period than that between the first 
two ; and thus on until these occasions happen every year, 
then oftener, until the patient will be laid up for half of 
the year, the disease passing back and forth from one foot 
to the other. 

This ailment is caused by high living, irregular habits, 
and sedentary life ; in fact, is confined to those hearty 
eaters of rich food, who use spirituous liquors freely, and 
do not have physical exercise ; it is sometimes hereditary, 
commonly attacks men, and those of large, robust bodies. 

Take hot vinegar and dissolve as much salt in it as it 



GOUT. 211 

will hold in solution ; rub the foot with this solution for 
fifteen minutes every two hours during the first day, and 
every four hours during the second day. While following 
this treatment, use internally a compound made by 
mixing — 

Flour of sulphur . . . i ounce 

Pulverized guiacum 1-4 " 

Tartaric acid 1-4 " 

Mix in a teacupful of molasses or syrup ; take an even 
teaspoonful four times a day before eating and before 
retiring. If not effective in four days, use the follow- 
ing : — 

Bromide potash 1-2 ounce 

Pulverized extract podophyllin 40 grains 

Pulverized cayenne pepper 60 " 

Mix in a cup of molasses ; dose, a teaspoonful four times a 
day. While taking, bathe the feet several times daily 
with hot water, to which has been added one teaspoonful 
of saltpetre. But the remedy which we have found most 
effective, and which we advise to be first tried, is the fol- 
lowing : — 

Pulverized extract podophyllin 30 grains 

Extract hyoscyamus 15 " 

Extract butternut 60 " 

Pulverized ipecac 30 " 

Sulphate of potash 60 " 

Mix in syrup or molasses, and make into pills, sixty in 
number ; dose, two, on an empty stomach ; and if no oper- 
tion follows in ten hours, take another. We have met with 
the happiest results from using these pills. 



212 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

OBESITY. 

Those persons who, besides being of a lymphatic tem- 
perament, are in the habit of eating very freely and not 
taking sufficient exercise, are very liable to become stout 
or fleshy, and the opposite course must be resorted to in 
order to overcome this tendency ; thus, when any person 
finds himself growing rapidly stouter than desired, let him 
reduce the quantity of food eaten, and take more exercise. 
In many cases persons become fleshy or fat from eating 
freely of one particular kind of food, such as oatmeal or 
bread and milk. When this is known to be the fact, let 
such food be dropped, and others substituted that do not 
have such tendency. For this purpose a diet largely of 
vegetables is advisable. 

A well-authenticated account of a case in which a per- 
son was reduced from an excessively large and uncomfort- 
able bodily condition, weighing four hundred and ten 
pounds, to the ordinary size of one hundred and sixty 
pounds, is related of one Mr. W., of Billerica, Mass. With 
great prudence he changed from a liberal and superfluous 
diet to a spare one, reducing the quantity of ale which he 
was in the habit of taking to one-half as much as usual, 
and the food in like proportion ; he retired early, and 
devoted but six or seven hours to sleep, and by diet and 
exercise reduced his size to that of an ordinary man upon 
half food and beer. 

When we first met the late Governor J. A. Andrew, in 
the spring of 1836, in Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, Me., 
his weight was nearly three hundred pounds, and he walked 
with difficulty; and four years afterwards, when reading 
law in Boston, he had by dieting reduced his weight to 
one hundred and fifteen pounds, and enjoyed excellent 
health. Late in life he again became corpulent. 



ALCOHOL. 213 

ALCOHOL 

Numbers among its friends legions. It is a substance of 
almost unlimited power for usefulness ; and on the other 
side of the question are its enemies, arrayed against its use 
in every form ; and so great is their zeal that they can see 
no good in it. They unite in one long, loud anathema 
against it for any purpose. Their stand is so firm, their 
position so erect, that others can see their backward slant. 
We think their opinion is warped, and without considera- 
tion. We claim broadly that everything is good and has 
its uses. We read that God promised his people a land of 
wine, honey, oil, corn, etc. ; also that Jesus made wine at 
the marriage feast. We have lived and talked a long life 
of temperance, but never embraced nor advocated total 
abstinence in all cases. We claim it valuable in chemistry, 
in mechanics, in surgery, medicine, and medical practice. 
We know of cases where the patients were taking their last 
gasps in life, and by the use of spirituous liquors revived, 
and were restored to health. The advocates of total absti- 
nence tell us to use something else ; we say, tell us what 
that something is. It is claimed by some that alcohol is 
nutritious, is food, because it is made from sugar ; so is 
vinegar ; but by the process of distillation and fermenta- 
tion the nutriment is changed, and cannot be reconverted 
to sugar again. Alcohol and vinegar are not food. 

Alcohol excites the coats of the stomach, stimulates the 
blood, increases the action of the heart, gives the muscles 
extra power of motion for a time, but is only a waste of vital 
force ; the muscles must have renewed force. We say 
alcohol for persons in health is injurious, but for invalids, 
as medicine internally and externally, beneficial, and as a 
tonic and stimulant excites the stomach, and is invaluable 
in digestion of food. 



214 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



SMALL-POX. 



The symptoms of this disease are shivering, pains in 
the head, back, loins, with nausea and vomiting, redness 
around the eyes, fever, thirst, and, in many cases, with 
children convulsions before the eruption appears. The 
eruption does not show until about the fourth day of the 
fever, and is first visible upon the face, neck, and breast, 
spreading afterwards over the body ; the pustules gradu- 
ally enlarge and proceed to fill with matter, which process 
is completed by the eleventh day after their first appear- 
ance. At the outset the eruption consists of fine red 
points, pimples, or elevations upon the parts of the body 
named ; the size of these pimples soon increases, and they 
become filled with a colorless fluid, while the top or centre 
of each one becomes depressed or pitted ; the fluid be- 
comes opaque, or thick, as the pustules enlarge and meet, 
or run together, while the face swells in some cases so 
much as to prevent the opening of the eyes. By the 
twelfth day the fever is abated, and the scabs begin to 
drop off, leaving the skin discolored for some days, and in 
severe cases pit-marked for life. 

The disease differs from measles and chicken-pox, be- 
cause of its having the tops of each pimple, or eruption, 
depressed, although until the time of Sydenham, the 
measles was regarded as a modified form of small-pox. 
After the discovery of vaccination by Doctor Jenner, the 
English Parliament granted him fifty thousand dollars, and 
enacted a law obliging every child born in Great Britain to 
be vaccinated, as a preventive against the small-pox. Like 
other eruptive diseases, this seldom attacks the same per- 
son a second time. 

This disease is more dreaded than all others known ; 
unless properly treated it destroys life, mars the beauty of 
the skin, and the looks ; it attacks persons of all ages, both 



SMALL-POX. 215 

sexes, all conditions ; but in the majority of cases the 
young. 

As yet no satisfactory reason has been assigned for its 
origin where it has occurred ; it is asserted that persons 
arriving from a locality where it had broken out have 
brought it, or that it had been conveyed in goods or cloth- 
ing from such places ; but we incline to the belief that it 
is sporadic, or self-generated ; that the existence of these 
same causes, which first produced it, whether they are 
electrical, animal, vegetable, or all combined, or other 
causes, may at any time reproduce the disease. For, like 
it, quinzy, croup, dysentery, fever, or catarrh, any one of 
which may appear at once in a whole neighborhood, yet 
their cause is not attributed to importation, but to the air 
or some subtle effluvia in the air, or some agent injurious 
to the human race. Our business is to alleviate the suffer- 
ing and prevent the marking by pits. Though innumer- 
able articles have been tried, few are found to possess any 
specific, or produce certain results. The general treat- 
ment adopted is to keep the bowels open by small doses of 
salts and senna daily, and feed with gruel, rice water, and 
toast water ; keep the patient in a room, the temperature 
of which is about 60 ° ; allow lemonade to be drank ; and' 
we find, from experience and the result with patients, hot 
lemonade is best, — and figs eaten freely. Some years ago 
we read an account of a remedy that had been most suc- 
cessfully used, and the efficacy of which was vouched for 
by both physicians and patients. This remedy, which we 
copied, was as follows : — 

Sulphate of zinc 2 grains 

Foxglove or digitalis 



3 



Honey 1 teaspoonful 

Mix thoroughly in a gill of water, and take for a dose one 
tablespoonful every two hours. 



2l6 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

The utmost confidence was placed in this by the writer, 
who claimed it to be a specific. As a preventive against 
pitting after this disease, painting the face, or marks 
thereon, with iodine, nitrate of silver, rubber cut in chloro- 
form, or weak carbolic acid, is recommended ; this may be 
done with a solution made of four grains of nitrate of sil- 
ver in one ounce of water, or of weak solution of iodine ; 
say tincture of iodine one part, water four parts ; use a 
camel's-hair brush, and paint the pits or pimples. Another 
plan is to rub the breast with tartarized ointment, into 
which has been put a very small quantity (few drops) of 
croton oil ; the effect of this is claimed to be the drawing of 
the eruptions to this place through the blistering effect 
of the ointment — 

Lard 2 tablespoonfuls 

Tartarized antimony 10 grains 

Croton oil 20 drops 

Mix. 

But so far as our experience goes we believe the best, 
safest, most accessible, and reliable of all remedies to be 
the plant called the Indian cup, which was brought to our 
notice some years ago by Major John T. Lane, with whom 
we were acquainted, and whose statement in regard to the 
plant is before us while writing. Major Lane, who had 
lived among the Indians of Nova Scotia, learned from them 
the value of this plant, which may be gathered from June till 
October. This gentleman assured us by statements, and 
testimonials from others, that so far as the remedy had 
been used it had proved a complete specific. He showed 
us- copies of the local paper from that section, with ac- 
counts indorsing his assertions, and containing also some 
statements made by Dr. Morris, who, in opposition to the 
whole medical fraternity of Halifax, advocated the virtues 
of the plant and advised its use. The editor of the paper 
and the masses of the people indorsed him as a man pos- 



SMALL-POX. 217 

sessed of good judgment, determined, as well as scien- 
tific. 

At the time of our conversation with Major Lane he 
desired us to make special effort to introduce this remedy. 
His intention was to give the cure to the whole world, and 
endeavor to obtain an award from the government upon 
its adoption. He visited Boston, New York, Philadelphia, 
Baltimore, and Washington, in the hope of being able to 
secure a satisfactory trial. The late President Lincoln 
assured him that it should be tried in some of the cases 
then in the hospital. To the great surprise of Major Lane 
the hospital surgeons brought in a report that the medicine 
" was inert and of no value." 

Nevertheless, some samples were sent to the surgeons of 
London, in charge of hospitals, and within a few months 
" London Lancets " were received by Major Lane, giving 
reports of the trial of his remedy in a number of cases and 
with perfect success. The root is the part that is used ; 
it is pulverized, and of this a dessertspoonful is simmered 
in a pint of water until it is reduced to half a pint, which 
should be divided into two doses, to be taken during the 
day. Sugar should not be used with it. 

" Dr. Frederick W. Morris, physician of the Halifax 
visiting dispensary, stated that this plant will cure small- 
pox, in all its forms, within tzuelve Jwurs after tJie patient 
has taken the decoction, however mimerous and alarming the 
eruptions may be, and that no scars or pits will be left. If 
either vaccine or variolus matter is washed with the infu- 
sion of this plant, they lose their infectious property. This 
medicine is so mild that its mixture in tea or coffee is not 
detected." 

Would not this specific, which so speedily cures, be, if 
placed in the hands of all, a greater blessing than vaccina- 
tion, which simply mitigates and perpetuates incurable 
diseases ? Will not some practitioners try its efficacy in 



2l8 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

other eruptive diseases ? From the account given by 
Doctor Morris it is harmless, and may prove a specific in 
chicken-pox, measles, scarlet fever, hives, shingles, scurvy, 
tetter, ringworm, salt-rheum, etc., — some or all of them? 
And would it not be advisable for the governments on the 
globe to secure a quantity of the root of this plant for all 
physicians' use, instead of encouraging a few doctors in 
their speculative art of passing small-pox matter through 
young cows for vaccination of their patients ? What evi- 
dence have the advocates of vaccination given to the world 
that cows or heifers are not diseased ? They \idMZ periodi- 
cal changes. Why not innocnlate a young bull ? or, better 
still, a lamb ? But best of all, give the medical plant. 



COW-POX AND VACCINATION. 

Cow or kine-pox is not a natural disease, but an artificial 
one, induced by the introduction into the human system 
of lymph or virus taken from the arm of some person in 
good health, and for whose vaccination the matter used 
was obtained from the arm of some other person supposed 
to be in good health, and soon, reaching back to some 
doctor who furnished the matter, presumably from some 
subject in a sound and safe condition. Sixty years ago it 
was thought that the distinct pit-mark left by previous 
vaccination was a safe guarantee against that dreadful 
scourge, small-pox ; but practitioners of Boston (the author 
among them) and other cities, having doubt of the fact, 
raised the question. Does not the guarantee of the virus 
run out in a few years or expend its force ? and this ques- 
tion was tested by revaccinating persons. 

We tested it on our own person ten years after vaccina- 
tion, and on others at periods of from seven to thirty years 
after their last previous vaccination, and in all cases the 
results consisted in its taking effectually; the arm was 



COW-POX AND VACCINATION. 219 

sore, the head and back ache were present, with more 
marked violence than at the first vaccination, but not one 
good natural pit-mark was left. We have operated upon 
children, as many as six or ten at a time, and all took but 
one, which was repeated until the seventh time, when it 
was effectual, and for which the reason is unknown. 

The discovery (innoculation of cows with the small-pox 
virus) was made by Dr. Jenner, who made efforts for its 
introduction into all countries. The discoverer's claim was 
brought before the English parliament, which, in 1 80 1-2, 
granted him ten thousand pounds, or fifty thousand dollars, 
as a reward for his discovery. 

Great care ought to be used in the selection of virus from 
healthy children, of healthy parents, otherwise diseases in 
the system may be transmitted to posterity. The vacci- 
nation mark or pit may be located on any part of the body 
where there is a cut, or the skin is broken, and the opera- 
tion of vaccination has become almost universal. Recently 
much care and pains have been taken to obtain matter 
from young and healthy heifers, and certain physicians 
have innoculated the calves with small-pox virus, and been 
selling the points dipped in the virus of the pustule of the 
calf to the profession as pure matter, having been purified 
by permeating the animal. 

We have been often informed that eruptive and scrofu- 
lous diseases have been transmitted by vaccination, proving a 
lasting affliction, not unfrequently ending in death, although 
the physician gave it another name ; and although there 
have been many cases of such poisoning, they are isolated 
and not known beyond the neighborhood. 

A case in point came to our knowledge in Boston re- 
cently. A doctor was employed, and paid for each scholar, 
to vaccinate the school. Several little girls declined, having 
been vaccinated ; they were urged, told it costs you nothing, 
and consented with the other children. In a few days 



220 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

five or six of them were terribly # sick, and in one child the 
arm turned black, mortification set in, and the arm and side 
of her body was a mass of putrefaction before death relieved 
her of her agony, which took place in twelve or thirteen 
days. We knew and visited the parents in that hour of 
affliction, but the body was wrapped in disinfectants and 
not visible to friends. 

We know the fact that the scratch of a needle on the 
human body until the blood is visible, and the point of 
the needle then dipped into a vaccine pustule and rubbed 
on the scratch, will vaccinate that individual ; and we 
assume that any disease or mercurial affection, however 
obscure, from ancestors, may be transmitted to the person 
by vaccination Our opinion in opposition to Dr. Jenner's 
and the whole medical faculty of the world, who advocate 
vaccination, is that vaccine virus is a most virulent and 
subtle poison to the human system ; and that its intro- 
duction into the circulation, a week or a month after a 
successful vaccination, will take effect more or less accord- 
ing to the condition of the system ; carrying with it the 
seeds of those diseases experienced by the bodies through 
which it has traversed, and instead of being a protection 
against disease and death, has scattered them broadcast 
over the world in males and females. 



CHICKEN-POX. 

This is a mild, eruptive disease that is confined to chil- 
dren, and which affects the same person but once ; though 
contagious, its presence need not excite uneasiness. It 
makes its appearance as follows : after a day or two of 
apparently slight fever, and general languid, uneasy feeling, 
small, round pimples, having white centres, appear on the 
shoulders, neck, breast, face, and more or less on the body. 
These become filled with a watery humor, and this does 



MEASLES. 221 

not turn to pus, but dries down after a few days, leaving 
dry crusts or scales. 

A peculiarity of this complaint is, that while some of 
the pimples are drying away, new ones continue coming. 
These pimples are round, with white, raised centres, but 
need not be mistaken for those of small-pox, which are 
depressed or sunken in the centres, and which on drying 
leave dark-colored crusts or scabs. 

No particular treatment is called for. Do not allow the 
child to scratch the spots, as this may produce bad sores ; 
let the bowels be kept open ; give light diet, and drinks of 
balm and pennyroyal tea to produce perspiration ; avoid all 
chance of taking cold by keeping in a warm room, and the 
trouble will in a few days pass away. 

MEASLES. 

This is an eruptive disease that prevails to the greatest 
extent during the cold weather, especially in the latter part 
of winter and the beginning of the spring. The majority 
of cases in which it attacks children is so large that it 
may virtually be said to be confined to them ; nevertheless, 
grown persons who have never had it, are at any time 
liable to have it upon exposure. It can be said that, as a 
rule, the same person is not affected a second time, yet 
there are recorded a number of authentic cases in which 
persons, and even whole families, have been attacked a 
second time, but where such is the fact the disease is 
known to have been very light at the time of its first 
occurrence. 

After exposure some twelve or fourteen days pass before 
the disease gives any indication of its presence. It is very 
contagious, and will, when the least chance is afforded, 
spread through a family or school with great rapidity. It 
is often a very difficult matter to decide whether there 



222 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

exists a case of the measles or of some other malady, such 
as scarlet fever, while in many instances the symptoms 
have been mistaken for those of small-pox, and much 
needless alarm been thereby created by such an announce- 
ment, as may readily be supposed. To avoid falling into 
these errors it is necessary to wait until the symptoms are 
sufficiently marked to enable those in charge to decide 
with certainty. 

At the beginning of this complaint, the symptoms (which 
may be either very mild and scarcely noticeable, or severe 
and troublesome) are similar to those of influenza, and may 
be enumerated as coughing, sore throat, sneezing, running 
at the nose, watery eyes to which the light is painful, coated 
tongue, bad taste in the mouth, thirst, chills or shiverings, 
and fever. The time at which the eruptions appear is 
usually the fourth day, although it may occur a little in 
advance of this time, or a number of days later ; they are 
seen first upon the face and neck, but immediately spread 
over the entire body, more or less thickly. These eruptions 
are of a dull red color ; there is no tendency to suppuration, 
and the blotches are slightly raised above the surrounding 
skin, which retains its natural look and color. As the 
pimples become more plentiful, they group themselves into 
clusters or patches, having the form of a crescent or half 
moon. After a few days these fade gradually away in 
much the same manner as they appeared, the blotches 
turning darker colored or brown, drying up as scales and 
falling off. No more danger attends plentiful eruptions 
than when they are few and scattered ; as the scars abate 
the attendant fever disappears, and when the disease 
departs, the patient is left in a weak condition, and with 
some of the symptoms (perhaps a cough) remaining. 

Although not often in itself dangerous, it may, in com- 
plication with other maladies, become so, for its presence 
may start into activity the seeds of consumptive or scrofu- 



MEASLES. 223 

lous diseases dormant within the system. The disease 
does not require a great deal of treatment in the way of 
medicine, but rather assistance to nature in her efforts. 

As soon as the symptoms are unmistakable, let the 
patient be placed in a comfortably cool room ; put the feet 
into hot water, into which saleratus has been stirred, and to 
further assist in driving the symptoms out upon the surface, 
make a tea of one part of Virginia snake-root and two 
parts of saffron, and have the patient drink freely of it, 
using every means to induce perspiration, or drive the 
humor out. When this has been accomplished, little 
medicine is needed ; the bowels must be kept well opened, 
while the diet should be very spare, and consist of such 
articles as gruels, broths, etc. ; if light is painful to the 
eyes, the room can be kept partially darkened. As the dis- 
ease is passing away the chances are that a diarrhoea will 
set in, but the results of this are beneficial. 

For a purgative in this disease the following can be usee 
with excellent effect : — 

Senna 1 teaspoonful 

Manna 1 " 

In half a pint of boiling water ; when cool strain and add 
one teaspoonful cream tartar, and sweeten the mixture 
with molasses. For a child two years of age, close a tea- 
spoonful every two hours, until it operates, and during the 
continuance of the sickness as frequently as may be neces- 
sary to keep the bowels open. If the cough should prove 
troublesome, a very satisfactory preparation can be made 
by breaking an egg, shell and all, in a cup half full of 
vinegar, and letting it stand twenty-four hours. At the end 
of this time take out the thin membrane that lines the 
shell, the latter having in the meantime (if the vinegar is 
good) been absorbed or dissolved by the vinegar ; add twice 
as much molasses as vinegar, and a piece of butter as large 



224 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

as a walnut, and grate in it a little nutmeg, then simmer 
together and use when cold, taking a teaspoonful whenever 
the cough is troublesome ; also drink freely of gum arabic 
or Irish moss dissolved. When recovering from an attack 
the patient must exercise great care, avoiding all ex- 
posure to taking cold ; the feet must be kept warm and 
dry, as well as the whole person ; nor must a speedy 
return be made to a free and generous diet, to violent, 
exciting, or exhausting work. Neglect of these precautions 
may result in serious drawbacks to those who are on the 
road to rapid recovery. 

ERYSIPELAS, 

Sometimes called the Rose, and sometimes Saint Anthony's 
Fire, is generally caused by severe cold, dampness, ex- 
posure at night, improper food, drink, or tobacco ; it is 
commonly preceded by chills and fever, and in some in- 
stances by sore throat, in some cases by nausea, vomiting, 
or diarrhoea. Immediately some part of the face, for in- 
stance the nose, ear, cheek, or forehead, begins to feel hot 
and tingling, and a feeling of stiffness is manifested. It 
usually attacks the young and sanguine, and we hope to 
present and point out enough of its symptoms, together 
with such details of its treatment, as will enable any per- 
son to control the disease in its earliest stages. The dis- 
ease is usually located about the head, although in some of 
its milder forms it may be seen upon other parts of the 
body. 

It is a common practice with doctors to give every case 
of inflammation on the surface the name of erysipelas, or 
erysipelatous inflammation ; but the symptoms are so well 
defined that no one familiar with the ailment need mistake 
it. These symptoms are pain, shining redness of the skin, 
and swelling in some cases. This pain becomes deepei 



ERYSIPELAS. 225 

seated, and the patient requires cooling drinks, and light 
diet, gentle laxatives, such as citrate of magnesia, or car- 
bonate of magnesia, in small doses, —half a teaspoonful 
four times a day, or Epsom salts in small doses. The 
symptoms of the mild, in addition to those above described, 
are a watery effusion from the inflamed part, collection of 
larger or smaller blisters upon the skin, or its formation 
in large, yellow patches, of a jelly-like consistency. When 
the skin gives way the fluid escapes, and crusts and scabs 
form ; but these soon fall off. The disease very rarely 
assumes a gangrenous form, only in the cases of coarse 
and gross habits. 

The treatment should be such as to reduce the action of 
the heart, or diminish the circulation of the blood ; and in 
this disease, as in so many others, we find it true, that what 
will benefit one patient will be of no use to another. After 
repeated attacks, some patients find the most relief afforded 
by laying upon the affected places cloths wet in equal parts 
of alcohol and water. Cooling laxatives, like senna, manna, 
and ginger, steeped with cream tartar added while cooling ; 
take some of this every other day ; also drink a strong tea, 
or decoction, of elderberry flowers. The food should be 
gruel, rice, and toast water, rice porridge, etc. 

Some patients find relief by using cold water ; others, 
vinegar and water ; another moistens linen cloths with 
sweet oil, or glycerine and water — equal parts; another 
wets cloths in an alkaline wash, such as ten grains of 
bromide of potash in a cupful of soft water. We have 
found relief to follow giving a dover's powder of five grains 
with five grains of bromide of potash, mixed in molasses, 
one of the powders being taken every three hours, and 
using at the same time cloths wet in alcohol and water ; 
in a pint of which dissolve a teaspoonful of borax and a 
tablespoonful of glycerine. Lay cloths wet with this on the 
affected parts, and rub the entire body with it if there is 
fever present. 



226 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

Another simple remedy, always at hand, is a poultice of 
grated raw potato, laid on cold, and renewed as often as 
every three or four hours ; if cranberries can be had, 
spread them, after being crushed or cooked, over the poul- 
tice of potato. 

LEPROSY. 

This is a disease so uncommon in modern times that 
virtually nothing is known about it by experience ; the 
only information we have upon the subject is from read- 
ing. It is spoken of in the old Jewish writings, and 
alluded to in the New Testament ; but when we inquire 
into its origin, history, and treatment, we start out in 
ignorance, as total as Egyptian darkness. We read of its 
being cured by dipping seven times in the River Jordan ; 
but we are not informed by either Christian or Jewish 
writers of any other specifices or miraculous healing power 
by which it may be washed away. 

We have no knowledge of its ever having appeared in 
this country, or anything similar to it, until about 1830 or 
1832, when a disease prevailed in the district of Gaspe, on 
the right bank of the Saint Lawrence River, at its 
entrance into the gulf of the same name, in the Province 
of New Brunswick, and Dominion of Canada. We are 
aware of the fact that the Legislature of New Brunswick 
appointed a committee of medical men (of which commit- 
tee Dr. Bayard, of Saint John, whose acquaintance we 
valued, was one) to examine into the origin and cure of the . 
disease. We read their report, which was printed in the 
Journal of the House of Assembly, and in it they desig- 
nated the disease as leprosy. Some few years later, some 
philanthrophic persons invited a physician from another 
locality to make an investigation of the matter, which was 
accordingly done. He pronounced it a syphilitic ailment, 
giving his reasons for so declaring, one of which was the 



LEPROSY. 227 

fearful and indiscriminate illicit intercourse between the 
sexes, in which sailors took part, and asserting that unless 
such practice was prevented, the disease would spread. 
In proof of his theory we believe he treated and cured some 
of them. We read recently an account of this disease 
given by a traveller. He had visited" that section of 
country where it prevailed, and with philanthropic motives 
obtained permission to investigate the history, treatment, 
and condition of the malady, and the unfortunate inmates 
of the hospital. In his account he states that the authori- 
ties had appropriated for the purpose an island, upon 
which had been built a pest-house, with all the facilities 
for the comfort and treatment of the unfortunate patients. 
Upon the first appearance of symptoms of the disease in 
any person, the island was his immediate destination, and 
banishment, regardless of rank or station in life. For sev- 
eral years their improper intercourse was not regarded as 
of the slightest consequence to the inmates, or to the out- 
side world. It was neither infectious nor contagious, as 
would appear. Several persons, upon the appearance of 
the symptoms in themselves, were known to have migrated 
to the United States, and though they were short-lived, 
there was no evidence of any person having taken the dis- 
ease from them. The number of persons upon the island 
is gradually diminishing as death ends their sufferings. 

No instance could be ascertained in which a healthy 
person had become infected with this malady ; although 
compelled to wash and keep clean, the bodily condition of 
the inmates was deplorable. This great physical and 
moral improvement is due to the Sisters of Charity, who 
labored for the improved condition of the inmates. Some 
were engaged in domestic duties, sewing or knitting, while 
the men were profuse in the use of tobacco, sang, fiddled, 
and seemed happy, while thus dying by inches. We hope 
that when the people of that section pay proper regard to 



228 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

morality and cleanliness, and these poor unfortunates have 
ended their wretched existence, that this scourge may be 
among the things of the past. 

SCURVY. 

This is a near kindred or mild form of leprosy ; and is 
of two kinds, commonly called land and sea scurvy. In 
the land scurvy the symptoms are red and purple spots 
and livid blotches, and the skin is rough in patches, cracks 
in places, scales off after a short time, becomes sore, forming 
small ulcers ; the skin turns yellow, and after the formation 
of the ulcers on the legs or body, turns dark colored, the 
muscles of the legs shrink away, the gums become ulcer- 
ated and bleed, as well as the nose, and death is often the 
result. It makes its appearance in low places, about the 
sea-shore, and it is also very prevalent in armies. The 
cause is claimed to be living upon salt food, meat, fish, 
beans, dry bread, etc., to the exclusion of a vegetable diet ; 
but there are well-known instances both on land and sea, 
in which the patient had not been living upon salt food. 
There were many in our late war, also many in the Florida 
war, who were thus affected, but whether from damp 
locality, exposure to night air, miasma, the use of tobacco, 
liquor, or other causes, it is difficult, if not impossible, to 
prove. One fact, however, is settled beyond all doubt, and 
that is, that change of locality, and a diet (in which fresh 
food and garden vegetables are included largely) suddenly 
improve the condition of the patients in all cases of the 
disease. Vegetables and acid, lemon juice, etc., not only 
cure, but prevent this bodily condition, and persons about 
to make a voyage, should prepare themselves with a supply. 
It has been thought by many that land and sea scurvy were 
the same ; but Dr. Budd, in the "Library of Practical Medi- 
cine, " has disproved that theory. He collected many cases 



SALT-RHEUM, TETTER, SHINGLES. 229 

from various sources, and showed clearly that its cause is 
not from contagion, cold weather, impure air, or the con- 
tinued use of salt provisions, but from the privation for a 
long time of fresh, succulent vegetables, although there are 
cases of the disease where no such deficiency existed. 
The same treatment is always adopted. The virtues of 
lemon juice were made known by John Woodall in 1636, 
and by Dr. Blair, and Sir Gilbert Blane, as commissioners 
for the Seaman's Hospital, in 1795. Sir John Herschel 
says : " That by means of its use, the number of patients 
in Haslar Hospital, which in 1780 reached the number of 
1457, was lessened so that there was but one case in the 
year 1806, and one in 1807. 

SALT-RHEUM, TETTER, SHINGLES. 

This is an eruptive or cutaneous disease, attacking the 
hands or arms, and includes four varieties. First, The dry 
tetter. Second, The pustulous tetter, appearing as separate 
pustules, which afterwards run together. Third, The 
military tetter, called salt-rheum, frOm the nature of the 
discharge, and appearing as scores of very small pimples 
in rings or clusters. Fourth, The corroding tetter, which 
destroys the part it attacks. This latter variety makes its 
appearance as a collection of numerous small ulcerations, 
which run together and form one large sore. This diffi- 
culty being caused, in some cases, by some particular kind 
of food used freely, let the person subject to it see that he 
does not eat or use to excess any one variety, such as salt 
or acid diet, but have a change. Many cases have been 
cured by making a strong decoction of yellow-dock root in 
vinegar and bringing to a boil ; in other cases the juice of 
cranberries has wrought cures of the eruptions, while some 
advise the use of cigar ashes rubbed on the spots after 
they have been wet with saliva. 



23O OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

The internal treatment is to keep the bowels open by 
means of laxatives, one of the most searching and best of 
which is made as follows : — 

Flour of sulphur 2 tablespoonfuls 

Cream of tartar 1 tablespoonful 

Powdered charcoal 1 teaspoonful 

Cayenne pepper 1-2 " 

Mix in a teacupful of molasses. Dose, a teaspoonful twice 
a day, and taken when the stomach is empty. Let this be 
followed for two days, then change, taking instead a tea- 
poonful of Epsom salts, with a little ginger added, for a 
period of two days ; then return to the mixture for a like 
period, and so on until the change has been repeated three 
or four times. 

While taking the above laxative medicine, use as a wash 
on the skin the following: — 

Glycerine 1-2 ounce 

Water 2 ounces 

Tincture of blood-root 2 teaspoonfuls 

A very good wash is made by steeping half an hour some 
blackberry roots and orange peel. 



SCALD HEAD, 

An eruptive disease of the scalp, due to inflammation, 
and affecting mainly children, especially those who are 
scrofulous, though it may be caused by uncleanliness, im- 
proper food, or using the comb of some person who has 
been afflicted with it. It first appears as a soft spot or 
patch, with the surrounding skin red or inflamed ; the dis- 
ease is spread by means of the acrid and offensive discharge 
that issues ; scabs are formed, and the whole head may 
become covered with these crusts, and be a very repulsive 
sight. 



ITCH. 23I 

The first step in the treatment is to shave the head, or 
to cut off the hair as closely to the scalp as possible, then 
wash with warm water and castile soap, and when drying 
the head, simply press down upon it with a soft cloth, and 
then take it up ; do not irritate by rubbing ; then apply 
the following ointment : — 

Flour of sulphur ........ 1-4 teaspoonful 

Powdered alum 1-4 " 

Lard 4 

Mix. While using this give a purgative, such as cream 
tartar one teaspoonful, and sulphur two teaspoonfuls, or 
some other laxative medicine ; or the head may be washed 
with a solution made of a piece of borax as large as a pea, 
dissolved in a tablespoonful of water, and then mixed with 
two tablespoonfuls of cream ; or wash the head with a weak 
preparation of blood-root. These applications, coupled with 
a free movement of the bowels, will be all that is required 
to bring about a cure. 

ITCH. 

This skin difficulty is caused by the presence of para- 
sites, so small as to be in most cases invisible to the naked 
eye ; it is very contagious, and may be brought on by un- 
cleanliness and poor living. Its presence is indicated by 
the appearance of small pimples, or eruptions, between the 
fingers, upon the finger joints, on the wrists, and it maybe 
upon the thighs. They cause a most unendurable, intoler- 
able itching, and more especially is this true when the 
patient is in bed, or is heated by any exercise ; it is only 
with great difficulty that one can avoid scratching or rub- 
bing them ; but this act will only increase the extent of 
the affected part, and make the trouble vastly worse. At 
the head of all remedies stands sulphur — 

Lard 4 tablespoonfuls 

Sulphur I il 



232 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

Mix, and make an ointment ; when cool add forty drops 
spirits turpentine, and with this ointment rub the affected 
parts well before retiring ; then go to bed with old under- 
clothing on, or after taking such precautions as are neces- 
sary to prevent soiling the bed-clothes. Another remedy 
is to make a strong ointment of yellow-dock root, water- 
dock, or burdock, simmered well in lard ; anoint with this 
(after cool) at night, and use same care in regard to the 
bedding. Take warm drinks frequently to keep the oint- 
ment from striking in. 

BARBERS' ITCH. 

This is a very troublesome and annoying complaint, 
which aggravates the afflicted severely ; the idea of carry- 
ing it about is most repugnant. This eruption is located 
on the part of the face and throat that is shaved, and the 
name comes from the fact that the trouble is believed to 
have originated at the barber's, as those who shave them- 
selves are not affected. Owing to the steady growth of 
the beard all about the vicinity, the place is most trouble- 
some to take care of. 

We have known men to suffer with this eruption for a 
year or more, and the various salves, washes, etc., used, 
instead of being of any benefit, appeared only to aggravate 
and increase the trouble. Finally, the tincture of blood- 
root was tried in some cases, and with a most gratifying 
result. During its first applications the blood-root was 
used in twice its quantity of water, and the proportion of 
water gradually lessened until the wash was made half and 
half, or of equal parts. Soon after using the wash rub sweet 
oil over the skin to smooth it. Another remedy recom- 
mended highly is to wash with a tincture of lobelia. An- 
other remedy is to steep yellow-dock root in vinegar, and 
wash the same place with the decoction. 



RINGWORM. 233 



NETTLE RASH (OR HIVES). 

This complaint, which is so named because of its re- 
semblance to the wound produced by the sting of a nettle, 
is a mild disease which may attack the same person a num- 
ber of times, and of which there are two varieties — the 
acute and chronic. It shows itself by oblong elevations of 
a pink or white color upon the skin, and these are attended 
with a burning, itching, and tingling sensation, which is 
only increased by rubbing. This affection is often brought 
on by some food eaten, such as shell-fish or acid food, like 
fruits, currants, or cucumbers ; and it may be occasioned 
by the smell in a house newly painted. 

The patient should take an emetic of a teaspoonful of 
mustard and half as much salt, and after it has operated, a 
mild purgative — an even teaspoonful of salts, or an aper- 
ient, such as a seidlitz powder; and when the stomach has 
been cleansed the cure will have been accomplished. It 
is well to wash the places with a solution of half a tea- 
spoonful of saleratus, or soda, in half a cupful of water. 
Give injections of warm soapy water to clear the bowels. 
Where the disease occurs frequently, and is disposed to be 
obstinate, as in some cases, take a lump of saleratus, the 
size of a bean, in a wine-glass of water every morning, and 
if that fails we would advise having the case in charge of a 
medical man, after two or three days' trial of domestic 
skill. 

RINGWORM 

Is a cutaneous or skin disease, which appears upon the 
hands, face, or other parts of the body. It shows itself as 
a ring or cluster of small, red pimples, containing a humor 
which, when freed by scratching or rubbing, spreads the 
disease. It may be said that when the bowels are in a 



234 0UR HOME DOCTOR. 

good, healthy condition, such affections do not make their 
appearance. Give a laxative like sulphur and cream tar- 
tar, or sulphur and molasses, or an aperient, such as a 
seidlitz powder. Cleanse the affected place by washing 
with soap and water; afterwards bathe with borax water, 
or a weak solution of blood-root ; the application of cran- 
berry juice has in many cases cured it. A decoction of 
yellow-dock used for washing the place is good. The dis- 
ease has sometimes been dislodged by applying a solution 
made by dissolving some common gunpowder in water. 
The way to effect a permanent cure is to cleanse the blood 
and liver by gentle cathartic or laxative medicines, such 
as the following : — 

Flour sulphur - I tablespoonful 

Cream of tartar 1-2 " 

Pulverized charcoal 1 teaspoonful 

Cayenne pepper 1-2 " 

Dose, half a teaspoonful on an empty stomach four times 
a day — before eating and retiring. Do this for three days, 
then take a teaspoonful of salts, and repeat for sixteen or 
twenty days — that is, take the salts every third day. 



ROSE RASH. 

This is an eruption that shows itself upon the body in 
the form of red spots, and is common among children. In 
some cases it appears upon the hands and feet, and not 
elsewhere, usually remaining for a few days ; this complaint 
is sometimes called false measles. Its coming may be 
preceded for a day or two by general disturbance, such as 
poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, or feverish symptoms ; it 
is liable to a return, and in warm weather is sometimes 
quite prevalent. The treatment must be such as will 
change the secretions and keep the bowels open, such as 



CORNS. 235 

taking small doses of senna, manna, or chewing pieces of 
burdock root, rhubarb root, and drinking thoroughwort tea. 



CHAPPED HANDS. 

This condition, as all are aware, consists of cracks or 
splits in the skin during cold months, and causing great 
inconvenience and pain. In some instances it may arise 
from a condition of the system, but in a majority of cases 
is caused by not wiping the hands dry, and from a want of 
the natural oil from the skin. 

We advise those affected thus to dry the hands thor- 
oughly after they have been wet or washed, to rub them 
with mutton tallow, or glycerine and fine dry corn meal, at 
night before retiring, and protect the hands with old gloves ; 
in the morning anoint them with sweet oil, cream, or lard. 

CORNS 

Are, as our readers are aware, brought on by using tight 
boots or shoes, and relief will be felt by wearing those 
which are loose and comfortable. Take a small round 
piece of leather the size of a silver dollar, shave the edge- 
thin, and cut out a hole in the centre large enough to 
admit the corn ; cover the under side of the leather with 
a sticking wax, — rosin softened with oil, or lard, or shoe- 
makers' wax ; then fasten the leather over the corn so as 
to relieve the pressure by allowing the corn to come up 
through the centre. Renew after some days if necessary. 
Another euro is to cut off a piece of lemon and bind it 
upon the corn at night ; do this for a number of times. 
To wet with spirits turpentine, or to bind something wet 
with it upon the spot, and keep it there is recommended. 
The use of potash is claimed to produce satisfactory results, 
but caustic potash is disagreeable to handle. The renowned 



236 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

Sir Astley Cooper recommended a mixture of one ounce 
yellow wax (bee's-wax), one ounce gum ammonia, three 
drachms verdigris ; melt together, spread on a cloth, and 
apply after paring away the corn. But the first step 
toward the cure of any corn is to remove the pressure, 
either by wearing shoes that are loose enough, or by the 
means we have indicated. 



WARTS. 

These small, rough, and unsightly excrescences appear on 
the hands, arms, neck, face, and sometimes the feet or 
other parts of the body ; sometimes they will disappear 
when nothing has been done to cure them, while at other 
times their removal is accomplished with great difficulty 
and repeated trials of various remedies. The methods or 
remedies used for driving them off are many, but of them 
all we know of no one that will cure them with certainty 
so that they will not again appear. 

Wet them frequently with citric acid ; or fasten some 
lint or cotton over the wart, and wet it often with spirits 
turpentine ; or slack a piece of potash in the open air, and 
rub on ; after five minutes wash off, and apply vinegar on 
the place, as this will neutralize the effect of the potash. 
Do not handle this potash with the bare hands, so that it 
can touch the flesh, but use a stick, brush, or old gloves. 
Dissolve some blue vitriol (sulphate of copper), or mix it 
with some lard, making a salve and using it on the warts 
at night, will scatter them, and often cause them to dis- 
appear. 



RETARDED MENSTRUATION CHLOROSIS. 237 

RETARDED MENSTRUATION — CHLOROSIS. 

From some cause there may be an obstruction of that 
regular discharge which usually commences with females 
at about the age of fifteen, although it may begin as early 
as the thirteenth, or not till the eighteenth year. On 
account of various reasons this may fail to appear when it 
should, and if nature is not assisted the health will be 
impaired, or some permanent injury or weakness be the 
result. Owing to ignorance of this fact on the part of 
mothers, many a young woman has suffered severely, and 
died a victim to ignorance. The cause of this appears to 
be a lack of blood or power in the system, which is brought 
about by an inactive or sedentary life, and such habits as 
are peculiar to the higher classes, particularly in cities and 
towns, which habits deprive the young woman of that 
exercise that will insure the proper circulation of the blood. 
For this reason the vessels from which the discharge takes 
place do not receive the needful stimulating. 

Every woman knows, or should know, that if at the age 
of fifteen or sixteen years (in the great majority of cases), 
a young girl has had no such experience, then all is not 
right. If such absence of any illness of the kind be attended 
with weakness, debility, or other unfavorable signs, prompt 
attention to the matter should be given This condition is 
usually attend by headache, pain in the back, loss of appe- 
tite, costiveness, desire to eat chalk, charcoal, or spices ; 
the skin loses its color, becoming yellow, the lips and ears 
white and almost transparent. Some parts of the body 
appear dropsical, the breathing is irregular, with occasional 
palpitations of the heart, and fainting. With the headache 
comes pain in the back, hips, and loins. 

Take exercise for an hour or so every day in the open 
air, and let this be of such a brisk and active nature, that 
the blood be sent coursing to all the extremities in an 



238 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

exhilarating manner, until there is a glow in the face, and 
a mild perspiration over the whole body. Xo slow or 
sluggish exercise will answer the purpose ; vigorous move- 
ments alone will suffice. 

The patient should bathe daily in warm salt water, or in 
a bath to which a cupful of salt has been added. A purga- 
tive of yellow dock and burdock roots should be taken 
every day before eating and before retiring, and follow this 
with pennyroyal tea. After continuing this treatment for 
several days, the iron bitters — made as hereafter described 
of cider, nails, black cherry-bark, butternut bark, and 
dandelion roots — may be used three times a day. Should 
this treatment be followed by pains that are bearing down 
in their nature, the patient should use the warm foot bath, 
and drink freely of tea made of motherwort, thyme, or 
pennyroyal, and bathe the bowels with fomentations of 
hops, wormwood, or yellow dock leaves. In this complaint 
there is great benefit derived from the foot bath. 

A good iron tonic, an excellent remedy, and one that is 
always at hand, can be made by taking a handful of clean 
iron nails, putting them into a bottle, adding two quarts of 
cider, and shaking well ; in a few hours the cider will turn 
dark or black ; dose, a tablespoonful before eating and re- 
tiring. When the bottle is partly emptied fill again. If 
no cider can be had, use vinegar and water — one-third 
vinegar, or to suit the taste, and sweetened. If the ten- 
dency of the bowels is to be costive, make a bitter tonic of 
black-cherry bark, butternut bark, and dandelion root, 
each one-fourth of a pound ; steep in two quarts of cider, 
adding the iron nails, and take a tablespoonful once, twice, 
or three times a day, as may be required. A sudden sharp 
pain in the abdomen may be eased by applying a heated 
brick wrapped in flannel. Cheerful society will be of 
assistance in this difficulty, and visiting among friends — 
avoiding all excesses, colds, and excitement. 



PAINFUL MENSTRUATION. 239 

PAINFUL MENSTRUATION. 

This operation, which should occur without any pain or 
suffering when the female is in a healthy condition, is with 
some women attended with pain in the head, back, loins, 
and lower part of the abdomen, in addition to a general 
disturbance of the nervous system for some days before, 
as well as at the time when the periodical sickness takes 
place. Not only is the condition distressing, but it is more 
common than is generally supposed. The discharges may 
be either scanty or quite free, and after their occurrence the 
pains and ill symptoms usually pass gradually away. Un- 
less this tendency to pain is checked, it may take place for 
years, at every occasion of the monthly sickness. 

In some cases, for hours, there may be little or no pain 
attending a small or scanty discharge ; but this discharge 
may suddenly cease, only to be succeeded by severe pains 
and a feeling of bearing or pressing down in the lower part 
of the abdomen, which symptoms may have a duration of 
several days. The most gratifying results are found to 
follow the application of heat, warm hip baths, hot fomen- 
tations, and warm flannels, containins- wormwood, tansv, or 
dock leaves, laid on. Let the bowels be kept open by the 
use of mild laxatives, such as salts, senna, and manna. 
Bathe the bowels and hips with warm water, in which hops 
have been soaked or steeped, after which let the patient 
lie in bed and have cloths wet with the above liquid laid 
upon the abdomen, and changed as often as they become 
cool. This plan will be found always to produce relief, as, 
in fact, will the application of heat in any form during the 
continuance of this difficulty. 



24O OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

SUPPRESSION OF THE MONTHLY ILLNESS. 

The periodical sickness should not only occur at regular 
intervals, but also be the same in character and quantity. 
When from any cause the discharge is hindered, nature 
endeavors to make some outlet for it ; but should this effort 
fail, the consequences will be a feverish condition, spas- 
modic affections, or hysteria. Any interruption occurring 
after the menses have become established (except during 
conception) is always to be regarded as a case of suppres- 
sion. Accidents, colds, fright, anxiety, the use of acids, 
charcoal (or other articles containing carbon largely) will 
create a tendency towards this complaint. In some in- 
stances it may be the symptom of other diseases, as of 
general debility. When this has continued for any length 
of time, the blood that should have passed off by this 
means will be diverted to other parts, and give rise to 
bleeding from the nose, lungs, or stomach, in addition to 
the other unfavorable symptoms that may be present. 

If this condition is the effect of cold, give a strong in- 
fusion of garden thyme and pennyroyal, or balm tea ; im- 
merse the feet and legs in warm water, in which hops have 
been steeped, and rub briskly with a coarse towel. Should 
this fail to relieve in twenty-four hours, let the patient be 
seated for fifteen minutes (or until a perspiration is pro- 
duced) upon a cane-seat chair placed in a tub, in which has 
been put a hot decoction of bitter herbs ; rub dry and put 
to bed, or avoid taking cold. 

Upon the approach of the time when the regular illness 
should occur, any female liable to this complaint may be 
benefited by taking the cider tonic prescribed in the treat- 
ment of retarded menstruation. 

A pill that we know to have been used in the treatment 
of this complaint with satisfactory results is compounded 
as follows : — 



EXCESSIVE MENSTRUATION. 24 1 

White pine turpentine, or balsam fir .... 60 grains 

Sulphate of iron, or copperas 50 " 

Shavings castile soap 40 " 

Cayenne pepper 30 " 

Roll into pills, making forty; dose, two pills at morning 
and the same at night. 

The woman at such time, as might readily be supposed, 
should be temperate in her habits and manner of living ; 
keep good hours, have nourishing food at regular intervals, 
and be governed by moderation. 



EXCESSIVE MENSTRUATION 

Results from a condition of the womb or internal organs, 
which causes a discharge that is unnatural in its continu- 
ance and amount. The cause may be a tendency of blood 
to the organs upon which this process intimately depends ; 
and such tendency may be induced by violent mental ex- 
citement, violent exercise, abortion, or debility, brought on 
by the use of food or drink which serves to relax and 
excite the circulatory system. 

When this immoderate flow is the effect of a full or 
robust habit, there will usually be pains in the loins, symp- 
toms of fever or heat in the system, with a strong, wiry 
pulse ; when from debility there will be paleness, loss of 
appetite, and exhaustion after slight exertion. 

The treatment should be directed towards checking the 
flow, — this being exhaustive. Take a strong decoction of 
beth-root — an ounce steeped in a pint of water — divided 
into eight doses, and take them in the course of two days. 
Apply over the bowels and parts affected cloths wet with* 
spirit, water, and vinegar. The drinks used should be 
cooling and acid, such as cream tartar in sweetened water, 
lemonade, tamarind water, lime juice in water, etc. If any 
injections are used, take weak, warm tea in small quanti- 



242 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

ties, say half a cupful ; avoid exertion and excitement ; 
rub the body briskly to bring the blood to the surface. 
The chief remedies are quiet, diet, and drinks. 



CESSATION OF THE MENSES, OR THE TURN 
OF LIFE. 

This period is an important and critical one in the life 
of women, and accounts for the presence at this time of 
unusual disorders ; but women who pass this period safely 
will have better general health, with a prospect of living 
many years. The probabilities are that this event will 
occur from the forty-third to the forty-eighth year, seldom 
earlier or later, and the symptoms are much like those 
that attend the ushering in of this event in the life of 
women. In some instances it commences with an unusual 
flow, but this should not excite any uneasiness or alarm, 
as such is but the natural outflowing of that mysterious 
process, indispensable to gestation and the procreation of 
our race. 

When it is remembered that for a few days in every 
month, during a period lasting as long as thirty years, the 
system of a female has been subjected to a moderate drain 
of its circulating fluids, disturbances that are created by 
its suddenly ceasing, instead of exciting surprise, should 
excite wonder that far greater and more serious results do 
not follozv. 

Very little medicine is needed ; the general health must 
be seen to, the bowels kept open and regular, and the diet 
be such as will tend to accomplish this ; do not employ a 
doctor who will give opium to quiet the pain, and calomel 
for the circulation, colocynth and scammony, or use patent 
medicines; but exercise some common sense and judg- 
ment, and with some of the remedies which we shall 
direct, let nature take her course in a great measure, and 
the result will soon be satisfactory. 



FLUOR ALBUS LEUCORRHCEA. 243 

For pain in the region of the womb, bathe the hips and 
lower part of the bowels with hot vinegar, in which bitter 
herbs have been steeped ; but if the moving and twisting 
pains continue, procure half an ounce of tartaric acid, 
divide into eight powders, mix one of them in half a tea- 
cupful of water, and bathe the back, hips, and groin. In 
some instances there is a tendency of blood to the head, 
causing headache, dizziness, and many symptoms of a 
nervous character ; sometimes the nose-bleed is an outlet 
for the blood, but at other times it is thrown to the lungs, 
resulting in hemorrhage ; at times it may go to the rectum 
and bleeding piles be established ; the treatment must vary 
according to the symptoms. 

Let us not be misunderstood when we refer to the long 
period, the number of years during which women is subject 
to this regular operation of nature. It is undeniably true, 
that by far the greater number of women do not have 
these periodical occurrences monthly ; but in the natural 
course of events are married, and in becoming mothers are 
to a great extent freed from these returns. But they have 
been turned into another channel, to support and sustain 
the child in the womb. 

FLUOR ALBUS — LEUCORRHCEA. 

This complaint, also called by some persons the " whites," 
is one to which many females are subject. It is indicated by 
an irregular and uncertain discharge from the uterus or 
vagina ; after the usual time of the menstrual discharge, 
this discharge continues, and is white and clear at first, 
but later in the disease it becomes of a brown or yellowish 
tinge, and in many cases the passing of the water is 
attended with a smarting or sensation of soreness, caused 
by the acrid nature of this matter. 

After the complaint has been established for some time, 



244 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

there will be pains in the back and loins, a paleness, poor 
appetite, and, as a whole, a general appearance of debility. 
This condition may be brought on by some injury, by 
over-exertion, by miscarriage, copious monthly illness, or 
by a weakness of the system, induced by irregular and 
improper habits. To effect a cure of this disease, which 
will be readily recognized by all women of experience, is 
a matter of difficulty, requiring time. The treatment 
must be directed to toning up the system, and for this 
object let the following tonic be made and taken : Two 
quarts cider, four ounces black-cherry bark (or a handful 
if it cannot be conveniently weighed) ; add two dozen 
new board nails ; allow it to stand for twenty-four hours, 
stirring occasionally ; dose, one tablespoonful before eat- 
ing ; and to renew the supply, simply add more cider to 
that in the bottle or jar, or make the following : — 

Sumach berries 4 ounces 

Sumach bark 4 " 

Steep for one hour in two quarts of water ; strain, and add 
one pound honey and one gill of alcohol ; dose, two table- 
spoonfuls before eating ; also, wet a flannel with it, and 
bathe the lower bowels and groins, back and hips, morning 
and night. Of this preparation an injection can be used 
with good result, and for such purpose one teaspoonful in 
half a teacupful of warm water should be used. 

Still another preparation that will frequently bring about 
excellent results can be made by the following rule : — 

Sherry wine or cider ........ 2 quarts 

Figs chopped fine 4 ounces 

Raisins chopped fine ........ 4 ' : 

Cloves ........ 1-2 " 

Cinnamon 1-2 " 

Allspice 1-2 " 

Ginger 1-2 " 

Cayenne pepper one teaspoonful or . . . 1 drachm 



FALLING OF THE WOMB. 245 

Use after it has stood for one day, half a wine-glassful 
before eating ; when necessary to renew the supply, fill up 
with wine or cider. 

While following the above course of treatment, let ex- 
citement be avoided, as well as strong tea and coffee, or 
violent exercise. The diet should be such as is nutritious 
and wholesome, the habits be regular, or, in a word, be 
moderate, temperate, and careful in the general living. 

FALLING OF THE WOMB. 

Like all diseases of the internal organs, this is, in its 
symptoms, obscure, and in its treatment difficult. Whether 
it has been caused by improper treatment, neglect after 
childbirth, or other cause, the treatment may be general ; 
such as the employment of tonics, also the use of local appli- 
cations, like honey and whiskey; or alcohol, honey, and 
water, equal parts. Apply over the womb, with a bandage or 
supporter tightly fastened around the woman. Injections 
of alum, honey, and water can be used with advantage up 
the vagina. An arnica plaster should be worn on the back, 
below the kidneys. The woman should spend as much of 
her time as possible lying upon her back, and a competent 
female attendant, by the exercise of good judgment, can 
do much to reduce the prolapsus, and aid the patient in 
securing relief by passing up the vagina a long compress 
saturated with alum water, in which put a teaspoonful of 
honey, and thus force the womb up into its place, and let 
the compress remain there for an hour or more, and renew 
it from time to time. 



246 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

INFLAMMATION OF THE WOMB. 

This seldom happens except after childbirth, and when 
it does occur the symptoms are so obscure, and so similar 
to after-pains, that any person not informed in physiology 
and medicine should not attempt its treatment. The only 
thing that can be done before the arrival of the doctor, is 
to give the patient a good sweat, by administering hot 
drinks of mint or pleurisy-root tea, for two or three hours, 
and laying fomentations of bitter herbs over the womb, as 
warm as can be used ; let these be changed often. The 
feet may be bathed in hot water, in which has been put a 
teaspoonful of mustard. The bowels must be kept open 
with warm injections, which may be made of soap and 
water. If only after-pains are present, they will gradually 
disappear, by the treatment given under the head of child- 
birth. If the pains are greater and increasing, with fever, 
send for your physician. 

BARRENNESS 

May not be regarded as a disease, as many women who 
are childless are apparently in good health. Every married 
woman who has her periodical sickness may be regarded 
as being capable of becoming a mother, and if she does 
not the cause is a matter for investigation and treatment. 
Many couples who have lived together for a term of 
years without offspring, and indulged the belief that they 
should die childless, have after proper treatment, judici- 
ously observed, been made the happy possessors of healthy 
children. The remark is common as well as true, " Chil- 
dren are the poor man's blessing," while the rich have few, 
if any, to enliven their homes. The poorer the family, the 
greater the number of children allotted to them. This is 
easily accounted for ; the active life and plain living of 



HYSTERICS. 247 

the poor man and woman keep them in excellent health, 
while the luxury and indolence of the wealthy, tend to 
debilitate the physical system, and induce various diseases, 
which disqualify both the men and women for procrea- 
tion. It not unfrequently happens that misfortune in 
business brings the family to poverty, when exercise and 
plain living are rewarded by health and robust children. 
Conception may fail to take place from weakness of the 
womb, ovaries, or other local ailment, which may be 
relieved or cured. We advise the wife to make a visit 
among her friends, either at the sea-shore or the mountains, 
for five or six weeks, enjoying the out-of-door exercise, and 
being careful to avoid excitement — use light vegetable and 
milk diet — take tea and coffee in moderation and weak, 
bathe the body night and morning with weak rum and 
water, in which put a teaspoonful of honey, and drink a 
wine-glass of a decoction of black-cherry bark in cider, 
diluted with two parts of water, before eating and retiring. 

HYSTERICS 

Is the name of an affection usually known among females, 
and called a woman's complaint, but it is by no means con- 
fined to young girls, maidens, widows, or to the female sex, 
for extensive observation and research have shown that 
men are subject to it ; and even old men have been, and 
are, ranked among the subjects, although in this case it is 
called nervous fits, hypo-tantrums, or rum fits. 

The symptoms usual in this complaint are general lan- 
guor, cold extremities, face pale, then flushed, pulse almost 
imperceptible, breathing difficult, vomiting ; palpitations 
of the heart are frequent, pain in the left side rising like a 
ball to the throat, suffocating feeling, fainting, and convul 
sions, changes from fits of crying to laughing and scream- 
ing, and at times a pain in the head, causing a feeling as 



248 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

though a nail was being driven into it. Sometimes pain 
attacks the loins, back, or bladder, and a large quantity of 
light-colored urine is passed. 

The patient should be laid upon a bed or sofa, plenty of 
fresh air given, and the clothing loosened ; apply camphor 
or diluted ammonia (hartshorn) to the nostrils ; give a few 
spoonfuls of cold water to drink, and dash some in the 
face ; bathe the temples and top of the head with camphor ; 
twenty drops of hartshorn, or forty drops of camphor in 
half a wine-glass of water will rouse the patient. The 
peculiarity of this disease is, that while the symptoms 
resemble those of all other maladies, it is itself without a 
parallel or prototype. 

Writers and practioners differ in opinion as to the origin 
of this affection, whether it is the brain, nerves, or stomach, 
and perhaps it is but right to credit each with keen per- 
ception and sound judgment, and as an honest critic admit 
each of them to be correct, according to his individual 
experience. We give our opinion from a careful and ex- 
tended analysis of the attacks, symptoms, treatment, and 
results, that it originates in a combined operation of the 
brain, stomach, and nervous system, in which the womb 
takes a prominent part ; its causes are many. 

There are two varieties of this disease which attack its 
victims in a great many ways ; in one form it strongly 
resembles epilepsy ; the patient may be violent, with trunk 
and limbs convulsed like those of a person struggling for 
life, rising to a sitting position then falling back with 
strong contractions and extensions of the limbs, and re- 
quiring several persons to restrain the patient from doing 
injury to herself or others ; in the other form, the patient 
is faint, languid, pale, almost lifeless, very slight pulse and 
breathing, apparent unconsciousness, or the jaw is rigid. 
Sprinkling with cold water rouses the patient, while am- 
monia, held near the nostrils is effective, and the treatment 



THE NATURAL FEMALE FORM. 249 

varies according to the symptoms. In some instances the 
complaint entirely passes away after marriage, but in others 
it is aggravated thereby. 

The means to be adopted for its prevention are avoiding 
all excitement, being careful in regard to the diet, keeping 
the bowels in proper condition by suitable food and laxa- 
tives, and by keeping regular hours ; in those cases where 
the patient is warned of an attack, by certain symptoms, it 
will be prudent and desirable to carry about the person a 
small bottle of stimulating drops, and take some in season 
to prevent a paroxysm. For this purpose use the follow- 



ing 



Bromide of potash 1 ounce 

Tincture ginger 1 " 

Tincture cayenne 1 drachm 

Dissolved or mixed in one quart of water. Fill a four- 
ounce bottle, and upon appearance of symptoms, take for 
dose, one-quarter of the contents of bottle, or one ounce. 
This may be repeated at intervals two or three times with 
safety. 



THE NATURAL FEMALE FORM. 

We read that God made man upright, but he has sought 
out many inventions ; and of the long list we would place 
the corsets at the head, for folly, expense, injury and sin- 
fulness : for folly, because needless ; for expense, on ac- 
count of their original cost, and the expense of fitting and 
wearing dresses over them, wearing more dresses than 
would be required without them ; and sinful because all of 
the vital organs of the chest and abdomen are displaced, 
and their natural functions deranged ; circulation, respira- 
tion, digestion, and health are all set at defiance by a few 
corset lacings, and the harvest is reaped by the doctors 



250 



OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



Fig. A. 



and undertakers, and on the tombstone may be read " con- 
sumption," instead of tight 
lacing and thin shoes. 

The diseases which re- 
sult from tight lacing are 
those of the lungs, heart, 
stomach, liver, kidneys, 
bowels, piles, urinary diffi- 
culties, womb complaints, 
and, in many cases, disa- 
bility for procreating off- 
spring. Those races who 
do not deform their person 
by artificial means, show 
the women equal physically 
with the men, and are free 
from the long catalogue of 
diseases in the train of the 
corsets. We think it was 
John Neal who, in writing 
upon the female, said, " Give 
a cotton ba£\ and a foot 




A healthy female form, with the in- 
ternal organs in their natural positions. 

me the girl with a waist like 
like a flounder." 



TIGHT LACING 

Is denounced as a great evil to the race. There are several 
conditions requisite for the enjoyment of health, and the 
first of these is purity of the blood. The lungs are de- 
signed to maintain the purity of this fluid, by relieving it 
of the noxious matter it has acquired in its round of circu- 
lation, and by furnishing it with a fresh supply of oxygen, 
to repair the tissues ever wasting under the process of 
vital action. 

The walls of the chest are so constructed that by the 
admission of air the ribs are elevated, and anything tight 



TIGHT LACING. 



251 



around the chest compresses the lungs, depresses the 
diaphragm, and displaces the stomach and bowels, the 
liver, womb, and bladder, depriving them of the room 
required for the performance Fi g . b. 

of their natural functions. 
The result is that in breath- 
ing or singing, the woman 
who laces tightly is obliged 
to elevate first one shoulder, 
and then the other, to attain 
space in the lungs for air, 
and while singing or reading 
one shoulder is elevated, 
which in time produces spinal 
curvature, heart disease, liver 
complaint, dyspepsia, with 
difficulty of the womb, blad- 
der, piles, cough, and con- 
sumption, or premature death. 
The lungs of a well-devel- 
oped adult occupy a space of 
from one hundred and fifty 
to three hundred cubic inches ; 
the air cells are estimated to 
number as high as six hundred 
millions in both lungs. One 
eminent anatomist estimates the amount of surface at 
which the blood is exposed to air, oxygen, and electricity to 
be fourteen hundred square feet. The question is often 
put to ladies, Why will you torture yourself by tight 
lacing ? They answer, to please the gentlemen. We say 
to please the simple. Sensible men admire a good natural 
form. 




A female form compressed by tight 
lacing. It is plain to be seen that the 
lungs and heart are crowded up into a 
small space, and the liver, stomach, 
intestines, womb, and bladder are 
pressed down into the pelvis. 



252 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

CANCER. 

This disease has two forms of development, and is one 
of the most difficult things with which the physician or 
surgeon has to contend. There are the scirrhus, or occult, 
which means hidden, and the ulcerative, or open form. 
They are often called hard or soft cancer, and other terms 
are used to distinguish them and denote their differences. 
To describe them so as to point out the differences is diffi- 
cult, if not impossible, as one variety may run into the 
other ; and they change in character and appearance, 
according to the time which they have been growing, the 
age and condition of the patients. As this book is in- 
tended for family use only, we will endeavor to speak 
plainly upon the subject, and in the most easily understood 
words. 

Any part of the human body is liable to be the seat of this 
affection ; but those places upon which it usually makes 
its appearance are the head, face, neck, or body above the 
waist ; and in females the points generally attacked are the 
face, breast, womb, or organs of generation ; with men 
the face, neck, and scrotum. When it makes its first ap- 
pearance it resembles a mole or a wart, with neither 
inflammation nor sensitiveness ; this condition may con- 
tinue for several months, but eventually ulceration sets in, 
matter is formed which, after drying, forms a scab or crust 
over the seat of the disease. Ultimately sharp, shooting 
pains are felt at the spot ; these are lasting in their nature, 
and occur at long intervals, which, however, grow less, 
while the pain is of shorter duration each succeeding time, 
until in the end there is a constant pain located at this one 
place. 

Following this there is an enlargement of the pimple, or 
small tumor, which was at first movable, but which now 
becomes fixed and set in the skin and cellular tissue ; the 



CANCER. 253 

ulceration spreads, deepens, and the place finally becomes 
an open sore, with hard jagged edges and soft centre, 
eaten into an uneven or irregular hollow; the discharge 
from it is thin and often bloody, and irritating to the adjoin- 
ing parts. Inflammation and hardening of the surround- 
ing glands begin about the seat of the disease, and the 
whole of the tissues are involved in a ligamentatious growth 
(that is, one which spreads through and among them like 
the fine roots of some parasitic plant). In some exceed- 
ingly rare cases the whole mass has been known to come 
away or slough off, leaving the place to heal by granula- 
tion ; and the sufferer to rejoice at the change. 

As stated above, this disease is liable to seize upon any 
part of the body, and there is scarcely an organ in which it 
may not become developed, — lungs, liver, stomach, tongue, 
etc. When the location of the disease is internal, there 
are only the womb, the vagina, and the rectum, which can 
be reached with treatment ; and so far as our observation 
extends neither was the patient ever cured, nor the cancer 
removed except by the knife, or ligature, in which case it 
invariably grows again ; but there have been persons treat- 
ing cancers who claim to have done both by outward ap- 
plications ; and we will say, in justice to the subject, that 
we have seen quite a number of persons who declare that 
they have had cancers removed, and who show the scars ; 
several of them showed the cancers, preserved in spirit. 
We once went ten miles to see a cancer, on the under lip, 
in process of being removed ; it was killed, and partially 
out, and from the appearance and effects we think we know 
the remedy. 

From the above evidence we would advise using the 
remedies herein given for a fair trial, and if not successful 
apply to some one who professes to treat and cure cancers. 
One of the most reliable remedies, and by the use of which 
cures are asserted to have been made, is the following : — 



254 0UR HOME DOCTOR. 

Chloride of zinc ..... piece large as a chestnut 
Pulverized blood-root . . . I teaspoonful 
Wheat flour ...... i " 

Wet and make into a paste. Take a large piece of stick- 
ing plaster, cut a hole in the middle of it as large as the 
cancer ; then stick this on over the spot, leaving the 
cancer exposed through the opening, then cover with 
the salve, which will thus reach only the diseased spot,- 
and allow it to remain for twenty-four hours. At the end 
of that time the cancer will appear dark and hard, like 
burnt leather, and its removal will be assisted by applying 
slippery-elm poultices. Another remedy is the follow- 
ing : — 

Ashes of black-cherry bark I teaspoonful 

Nitrate of silver 20 grains 

Verdigris . . . . 1-2 drachm 

Saltpetre . 1 " 

Lard 1 teaspoonful 

Mix all, and put on the cancer after protecting with plas- 
ter as above. In three or four days the cancer will be 
killed and come away ; if the fibres of the roots hold it, a 
poultice of slippery-elm will soften and help bring away. 
Another remedy highly recommended is — 

Yellow-dock root, fine ,i teaspoonful 

Soot 1-2 " 

Flour of sulphur 1-2 " 

Powdered blood-root 1-2 " 

Chloride zinc 1 " 

Lard 1 tablespoonful 

Mix and make an ointment ; cover with a piece of plaster, 
the same as in the above cases ; put on the ointment twice 
in twenty-four hours, continuing for three days, at the end 
of which time endeavor to remove by the aid, if need be, 
of slippery-elm poultices, as directed above. 



POLYPUS. 255 



TUMORS 



Are swellings located in various parts of the body, unac- 
companied by inflammation ; they may be either internal 
or external, and in the latter case the skin does not appear 
different from that surrounding the place. Dr. Abernethy 
says that " tumors are caused by diseased action and sus- 
tained by the same." They are of several kinds, and vary 
in size from that of a horse-chestnut to that of a water- 
pail. They are generally enclosed in a sac, — from the 
ovarian tumor to the smaller ones about the head, neck, 
chest, and abdomen. To remove them is the work of the 
physician, or, more especially, the surgeon. In this opera- 
tion there must be made an incision through the skin 
large enough to admit the entire sac and contents to pass 
out, after they have been separated from the surrounding 
tissues. Should the sac be cut and a portion of the con- 
tents, escape the tumor is liable to form again. " We have 
removed tumors, and there was no return of them for thirty 
years. But small or large, as we said above, it is the busi- 
ness of the surgeon only to attempt their removal. 

POLYPUS 

Are a sort of' fungus or excrescence, of different sizes and 
degrees of hardness, shaped like a pear, and attached to 
the part from which they grow by necks ; in some cases the 
growth is very rapid, while in others it is slow ; they are 
found in the nose (in the nostrils), the uterus, and vagina, 
the first-named location beins; the most common. 

When the polypus begins to- grow it may be washed 
with very strong tea or alum water ; or a snuff may be 
made of one part alum and six parts white sugar, both finely 
powdered ; or a snuff of bayberry bark and blood-root pul- 



256 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

verized. This latter can be used every hour or so, and 
with the effect upon the polypus of turning it black, and 
causing it to slough off or disappear ; but the use of the 
powder should be continued until the part is entirely 
cured. The earlier this treatment is begun the better ; 
if the nose becomes dry, moisten it with cold water, after 
which again use the snuff, the effect of which is to act 
only upon the diseased parts. When a polypus has 
become large its removal (regardless of its location) should 
be intrusted to a physician only. 

GANGRENE AND MORTIFICATION. 

Gangrene, which is mortification in its early stage, is 
the result of inflammation from injury or ulceration, and 
attacks the weakest parts, or those where the circulation 
is poor. 

The symptoms are absence of pain, feeling, and heat ; 
the skin soon becomes yellowish-green or dark-brown ; the 
pulse is quick, small, and feeble. When gangrene begins at 
the end of the toe it extends along upwards until the whole 
toe or foot is affected, and unless checked by treatment 
passes into mortification ; a hectic appears, the patient 
is delirious, hiccoughs set in, and in a few hours death 
relieves the sufferer. 

The treatment, which should begin before, the second 
stage sets in, should be such as warm poultices and bottles 
of hot water ; use pulverized charcoal on the poultices, 
and sprinkle them with carbonate of potash or soot from 
the chimney ; give stimulating drinks, such as wine and 
bark (Peruvian), and a generous diet of beef tea, mutton, 
and chicken broth. Spirit and water may be administered ; 
also three or four times daily one grain quinine and one- 
quarter grain of morphine. 



THE FLETCHER TRUSS TESTIMONIALS. 2$J 

There is an exceedingly malignant type of gangrene 
that makes its appearance in hospitals and prisons, the 
treatment for which need not be referred to in this work. 



THE FLETCHER TRUSS — TESTIMONIALS. 

It may be proper to mention the names of some of the 
most prominent men in the profession who have examined 
these instruments, and approved of their construction and 
ready adaptability to the several forms of hernia, viz. : Doc- 
tors John C. Warren, George Hayward, W. Ingalls, S. D. 
Townsend, J. Jeffries, J. V. C. Smith, George B. Doane, 
Winslow Lewis, Joseph W. McKean, R. H. Salter of Boston ; 
William J. Walker, Charlestown ; H. L. Pierson, Salem ; 
E. Alclen, Randolph; J. C. Dalton, Lowell; Dixi Crosby, 
Professor Anatomy and Surgery Dartmouth College ; E. 
Hoyt, President, and J. B. Abott, Secretary, New Hamp- 
shire Medical Society; Timothy Haynes, Concord, N.H. ; 
J. Roby, Professor Anatomy and Surgery Bowdoin Col- 
lege ; J. W Mighells, Portland, Me. ; J. Spaulding, Mont- 
pelier, Vt. ; Amos Twitchel], Keene, N.H. ; B. P. Heine- 
berg, Burlington, Vt. ; H. Hatch, Burlington, Vt. ; George 
McClellan, Professor Medical College, Philadelphia; Robley 
Dunglison, Philadelphia ; O. H. Partridge, Philadelphia ; 
H. W. Baxley, Professor Anatomy and Physiology, Balti- 
more, Md. ; F. E. B. Hintze, Baltimore, Md. ; J. Kearny 
Rogers, Surgeon New York Hospital ; Willard Parker, 
Professor Surgery in New York, Cincinnati, and Vermont 
Medical Colleges ; J. J. Loyd Whittemore, New York ; Dr. 
Knight, New Haven, Conn. ; Dr. Beers, New Haven, Conn. 

All of the above gave letters-testimonial. 



258 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

HERNIA, RUPTURE, OR BREACH 

Is generally understood to be a protrusion of a portion of 
the abdominal viscera from its natural position. It is not, 
as its name would indicate, a breach or rupture, but a 
stretching or giving way of the muscles and lining mem- 
brane, which allows the protrusion of a portion of the 
intestine, or in many cases of the omentum, a kind of net 
of fatty substance which lies over the intestines. Proof 
of the existence of this complaint is very evident, for in 
addition to the swelling there is a dull aching pain in the 
same location ; a sense of hauling down of the intestines, 
often extending up over the abdomen to one or both sides, 
and but for the swelling it would be difficult to locate the 
rupture ; upon applying pressure the swelling recedes, and 
relief is felt. 

There are few cases of surgical nature which should be 
mentioned in a work of this kind intended for domestic 
practice only ; but this complaint is so common to both 
sexes and all classes, and so self-evident, that men and 
women of intelligence can do something to relieve those 
afflicted ; hence we give the subject some space. We feel 
competent to advise and give directions in this branch of 
surgery, from the fact that we invented and patented in 
1838 the well-known Fletcher truss ; and in 1838, 1839, 
and 1840 paid special attention to making, selling, and 
applying said truss in Boston, during which time we wit- 
nessed many radical or permanent cures effected by our 
instruments, properly fitted. 

HERNIA, OR RUPTURE. 

There are four kinds of hernia met with in ordinary prac- 
tice, viz. : the inguinal, the ventral, the femoral, — all of 
which protrude in the groin, and the umbilical at the navel. 



HERNIA, OR RUPTURE. 



259 



The Fletcher truss can be adjusted to every form and 
variety of hernia. Experienced physicians only should apply 
trusses. Hernia may become irreducible or strangulated, 
but in most cases it is reducible ; it may be passed back 
by pressure of the hand upon the swelling or protuberance, 
or by sponging the part with cold water ; in some cases 
where the rupture has been down several hours, it is well 
to place the patient upon a sofa, bed, or other flat surface, 
to have the head lower than the bowels, and to sponge 
with cold water and manipulate with the hands ; if not 
successful after working for an hour in this manner, put a 
piece of tobacco as large as a pea in a cupful of warm 
water, and steep it well ; of this, give a teaspoonful every 
five minutes until nausea, but not vomiting, is induced. 
This will cause the muscles to be relaxed, when by working 
over it with the hands the rupture will recede ; but if two 
or three hours' trial with sponging fails to reduce the 
hernia send for a surgeon. We here give some cuts and 
explanations of the the Fletcher truss, as made and used 
by us : — 




A, A cog-wheel on the under side of the rider. 

B, A screw and nut which secures the wheel. 

C, The steel spring attached to cog-wheel and pad. 

D, The pad, which may be round and smooth or oval and covered. 

E, The nut which holds the strap. 

F, The screw which increases the pressure on the spring. 



260 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

This engraving shows the movable parts of the truss. 

R P. A 




A, The rotary cog-wheel, showing the manner of attaching the pad. 

B, The screw which permanently locates the pad. 

C, A short piece of steel, by which the pad is connected to the wheel. 

D, The pad, which is represented as turned back to show the construction ; it is 
circular, hard or soft, thick or thin, to suit individual cases. 

F, The screw by which the pressure is increased on the pad. 
P, Two posts on the rotary wheel by which it is connected with the pad. 
Q, The post on the inner side of the main piece and on which the rotary is riveted. 
R, A bend in the main piece allowing the face of t e rotary to be on a level with the 
shank of the main piece on account of the covering. 

This is an engraving of the double truss (uncovered) 
in which condition a better idea can be had of springs, 
pads, etc. 




A, A rotary wheel on the under side. 

B, A small screw which fastens the rotary wheel. 

C, A short steel spring connecting the pad and rotary wheel. 

D, The pad which is convex on the side next the body. 

E, A brass nut which holds the rider to the springs, holds the cover and the strap 
surrounding the body. 



HERNIA, OR RUPTURE. 



26l 



F, A screw which increases the pressure as desired. 

G, A small screw and nut fixing the end of the spring. 

I, A loop riveted to the hinge part to secure the spring firmly 

J, The double hinge, lateral and horizontal. 

K, The slot in the end of the spring. 

L, A nut holding the rider to the spring. 

M, The circle which the pad performs when the screw B, is out. 

This engraving shows the truss after application and in 
position, and after the skin and adipose substance have 
been dissected away to show the relation of the several 
parts, each to the other, and the adaptation of the instru- 
ment to the varieties of hernia. 




A, Refers to Pou part's ligament, extending from the anterior superior spinous pro- 
cess of the ilium downwards and forwards to its attachment at the pubis. 

B, Refers to the internal ring as seen through the fascia; the dotted lines represent 
the course of the canal from the internal through the external ring C, down into the 
scrotum. 

C, The external ring formed by the division of Poupart's ligament near its attach- 
ment at the pubis. 

D, The place where crural or femoral hernia appears under Poupart's ligament. 

E, The femoral artery indistinctly seen through the fascia lata of the thigh. 

F, The circle which the pad may perform, and at any desired point of which it may 
bs made permanent. 



262 



OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



This engraving requires no explanation ; it shows the 
double truss covered ; the same having just been shown, 
lettered and explained without a covering. 




Mothers may and often do apply a bandage with a soft 
pad and a thigh strap sewed to it, this strap extending up 
behind and sewed to the bandage until they get a doctor. 



VARICOSE VEINS 

Is a weakness of the veins, caused by a sluggish circula- 
tion in the extremities, usually in the legs, and especially 
affecting females during pregnancy. The blood does not 
pass up as fast as it collects from the minute vessels be- 
tween the veins and arteries, and the accumulated blood 
causes an enlargement or swelling of the veins ; and the 
greater the collection of blood the weaker the veins be- 
come, and the slower the circulation. In the early stage 
of this complaint the veins are enlarged and irregular, 
almost in knots, and with an aching sensation. 

The affected limb should be bathed with the following 
wash : In one quart of water put half a pound of white-oak 
bark (green), or half a pound of sweet fern tops (crushed 
or bruised), and one teaspoonful cayenne pepper, and steep 



WHITE SWELLING. 263 

three hours — - strain and add one tablespoonful alum. 
Bath the limb with this night and morning, and bandage 
with a strip of cloth, or an elastic stocking, before moving 
about in the morning. If the case has become chronic, 
and the skin partially ulcerated, wash with castile soap and 
poultice with the following : Slippery-elm, flaxseed, or 
bread and milk, on which sprinkle a little oak-bark, alum, 
and cayenne pepper, placing a piece of thin open muslin 
upon the poultice to keep the leg clean ; renew the poul- 
tice three or four times daily, bandaging loosely. 

WHITE SWELLING 

Is a disease that attacks the joints, usually the knees, 
but sometimes an ankle joint ; in some instances it is mild, 
while in other cases it is exceedingly painful. The pain is 
located in the periosteum or covering of the bone, and after 
long continuance of this disease the bone will exfoliate, as 
the term is, which means throw off scales or decayed layers 
from its surface. In the majority of cases it affects youths 
and children, and may be the result of injuries, or of scrofu- 
lous tendencies in the blood. 

Formerly the treatment was to place the patient, when 
the affection showed itself, in charge of a physician or 
surgeon, and the limb would be amputated ; but in later 
years it has been demonstrated that a cure can be effected 
without resorting to surgical science. 

Upon the first symptoms of the disease, let the place be 
thoroughly steamed with a decoction of bitter herbs, by 
holding the limb over a tub or pail in which the decoction 
is put, and confining the steam by throwing a blanket over 
the limb and the tub ; if the steam does not start the per- 
spiration, put a hot brick into the tub to raise the tempera- 
ture of the contents. After the affected place has been 
induced to perspire freely, wipe and rub dry, then rub with 
liniment made as follows : — 



264 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

Oil of hemlock 1-2 ounce 

Oil of sassafras 1 " 

Gum camphor 1 " 

Tincture opium 1-2 " 

Alcohol 1 pint 

Shake well together, and bathe the place with it freely 
three or four times a day. At night apply a poultice made 
of powdered slippery-elm, mixed with lye made from wood 
ashes, or mixed in a solution made of thirty grains of sul- 
phate of potash, dissolved in a gill of water. 

Another excellent stimulant in such cases is made of 
the following : A tablespoonful of pulverized lobelia, in a 
pint of water, and half a teaspoonful of cayenne pepper ; 
steep half an hour, strain, and mix in an even teaspoonful 
of saltpetre, then stir in powdered slippery-elm or flaxseed 
meal until thick enough for a poultice, and apply it to the 
part effected ; renew it every six hours : if lobelia is not to 
be had, take half the named quantity of tobacco cut fine. 

ULCERS 

Are caused by injuries which require an outlet, or, like 
boils, from various causes ; or from deep flesh wounds, 
that do not heal by the first intention, but remain open, 
discharging a pus or acrid matter. When the wound shows 
a red granulated surface, and is attended with a discharge 
of pus only, we would call it a healthy ulcer, that is, one 
tending to heal ; but when the hollow appears rather to 
deepen, with no appearance of the red granulations, and 
the discharges are dark colored, or of a bloody nature, it is 
called an unhealthy ulcer ; and, unless checked in its ten- 
dency, will be liable to reach a vital part, or kill the patient 
by exhaustion. When the vitality is low, there is all the 
more reason to fear this result ; and the need of a liberal 
diet and tonics is more imperative. 



ULCERS. 265 

Ulcers are most liable to attack those whose circulation 
is sluggish ; and, while they may show themselves upon 
various parts of the body, are in the majority of cases 
located upon the legs, such location being farthest removed 
from the centres of circulation ; and therefore ulcers often 
are very difficult to treat in a satisfactory manner, for 
which reason we would certainly advise having any case of 
the sort in the hands of a competent physician. 

When the ulcer is foul and dark looking, it may be 
washed with soap and warm water, then dressed with a 
poultice of slippery-elm, on which has been sprinkled some 
soot, or pulverized charcoal, with cayenne pepper or ginger ; 
upon removing the poultice, wash again and renew the 
poultice ; let this be done for a day or two, or while the 
matter is discharged freely, and is of an unhealthy nature. 
But when the sore shows red granulations, and the dis- 
charge is clear and healthy in appearance, let it be dressed 
with a salve made of — 

Mutton tallow 1 tablespoonful 

Cream 1 " 

Beeswax large as a thimble 

Alum half as " " " 

Simmer together and stir well. If the granulations are 
large and pale, they must be washed with an astringent 
lotion made of alum, or bluestone the size of a bean, in a 
wine-glass of water. Dr. Beach recommends for a salve to 
be used on ulcers a mixture made as follows : — 

Sweet clover tops 1 handful 

Parsley 1 " 

Burdock leaves 1 " 

Simmer in a pint of water, and reduce to half a pint ; add 
a teaspoonful borax, two ounces rosin, and four ounces 
fresh butter ; simmer all together till well mixed. This 



266 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

can be spread upon a linen cloth and laid upon the sore. 
A salve or ointment may be made as follows : — 

Blood-root, crushed i tablespoonful 

In one gill water — steep for one hour; strain, and add 
two tablespoonfuls of lard, and half teaspoonful pulverized 
charcoal ; heat and stir until well mixed. This is very 
valuable in removing any growth of a fungus nature from 
the place. 

Spirituous liquors must be avoided, but teas of sassafras 
and sarsaparilla can be used with advantage. It is some- 
times a matter of difficulty to decide whether or not an 
ulcer should be healed and the discharge stopped, as the 
condition of the system may be such as to demand an 
escape or outlet for the matter which is being thrown off 
by means of the running sore. Under such circumstances 
the blood must be purified by medicines for the purpose, 
or the system strengthened by tonics, after which the 
ulcer will disappear. In some cases a poultice of boiled 
parsnips has been used, and has proved a satisfactory 
application. We would prefer one of raw onions crushed 
fine and warmed. 

ABSCESS 

Is a deep-seated collection of matter, the causes of which 
are numerous — such as wounds, blows, bruises, and 
injuries. The symptoms are as varied as the causes. In 
some cases slight chills are experienced, a dull pain is felt 
in the region of the affection, with an occasional shooting 
pain upwards or downwards, and in others an aching, 
burning sensation, with a weakness in that region ; in 
other cases there are no marked symptoms, only a weak- 
ness in the locality of some strain or injury received long 
before. It is quite common to find the collection of matter 
several inches below the seat of the injury. In cases of hip 



CARBUNCLES. 267 

disease, the abscess sometimes opens down on the thigh. 
We had a case in which the man complained of weakness 
in the hip and leg, the result of a previous injury, but he 
kept about his business ; one day when near his house, he 
was surprised by the breaking of the abscess ; he hurried 
to his bedroom, removed his boot, which was half full, then 
removed his pants, and took the wash-bowl, which was 
literally filled. We were on the spot ima few minutes, and 
saw in great wonder about a gallon of matter. The leg 
and hip were greatly diminished in size ; afterwards the dis- 
charge continued copiously for about four months, when 
the patient died, greatly emaciated. Treatment in such 
cases should be generous diet, quinine in small doses, and 
injections of witch-hazel decoction ; drink tea of yellow dock 
and yarrow. To treat an abscess is a delicate and difficult 
business, and all such cases should be intrusted to a 
surgeon. 

CARBUNCLES' 

Are hard inflamed tumors, like very large boils, but much 
more painful and needing skilful treatment. Unlike boils 
there is a tendency to gangrene and absorption of the 
matter, and chances of a fatal termination as the result; 
This ailment first shows as a hard, red swelling, the surface 
of which soon assumes a livid color, and a soft spongy 
feeling to the touch ; a number of small ulcers form in the 
affected surface, and from their several openings flows a 
thin discharge, which is characteristic of this sore. These 
small openings soon run together, and form one orifice, 
from which the discharge continues, becoming of a thick 
and tenacious nature. 

Those advanced in years are more severely affected by 
them, and the place of appearance is generally the back of 
the neck, or between the shoulders ; they are supposed to 
show a low condition of the system ; the tendency of the 



268 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

thick discharge is to eat or affect the surrounding flesh 
and increase the size of the sore. The name of carbuncle 
is from a word meaning "to burn," and is given to this 
tumor on account of the burning sensation experienced. 

When there appears about the head, neck, shoulders, or 
any part of the body, an angry, painful elevation, with 
uncircumscribed margin, and an undefined centre or head, 
you may regard it a deep-seated carbuncle. When such is 
seen, the system is much out of order — the bowels are 
sluggish, and the blood imperfectly circulated, requiring a 
stimulant and cathartic such as the following : — 

Butternut bark, green 1-2 pound 

" " dry 4 ounces 

Extract of butternut 1 ounce 

Black-cherry bark, green . . 1-2 pound 

" " dry 4 ounces 

Milkweed roots, green 4 " 

Blue cohosh roots, green . . . . . 4 " 

Cayenne pepper 1-2 " 

Steep in two quarts of water two hours ; strain, and add 
half a pint of alcohol ; dose, a tablespoonful on an empty 
stomach four times a day. To lessen the pain, scatter the 
inflammation, and give a healthy tone to the part affected 
and the surrounding parts, apply a poultice of the fol- 
lowing : — 

Raw onions, bruised fine 2 teacupfuls 

Clear honey 1 tablespoonful 

Black-cherry bark, grated 1 teaspoonful 

Pulverized hardwood charcoal . . . . 1 " 

Barbadoes tar, or white pine pitch . . 1 " 

Cayenne pepper 1-4 " 

Pulverized slippery-elm 1 " 

Water to make it right for poultice ; mix, and warm. 
Poultice six times a day, each three inches in diameter. 
In case chills and fever set in, and the sore does not 



BOILS. 269 

dimmish and look better, we advise calling in a physician 
to attend the case. 

BOILS 

Are very troublesome affections, and are liable to come on 
any part of the body of those who eat much pork, especi- 
ally in the spring of the year. They frequently attack 
young and healthy persons ; and there is a common saying 
that, "boils are healthy," and as a means of ridding the 
system of injurious matter the saying may be true. The 
presence of boils is an indication that a change should be 
made in the diet and manner of living, not merely to pre- 
vent more boils, but also to avoid carbuncles or other 
ailments. 

Little, if any, description of boils is needed, nearly every- 
body having had one, or been familiar with them. They 
begin with a slight hardness, which soon develops into a 
small, red, hard pimple, with a white, round centre, where 
the pus begins to collect ; this pimple increases in size 
and soreness, grows more angry-looking, with increasing 
collection of matter, till after some few days it breaks, and 
there takes place a small discharge of matter and blood. 
But the trouble is not yet over, and will not be until the ' 
core comes away ; this will probably take place in a clay or 
two. When this has occurred the small cavity left can 
readily be healed. The treatment should be to poultice 
until the boil comes to a head, breaks, or is lanced and 
freed of the core ; if desired to bring to a head quickly, let 
it be treated with a mixture of common brown soap and 
sugar (pulverize the sugar fine). As might be expected this 
will increase the pain. Upon the exit of the core the sore 
spot can be dressed with the following healing salve : — 



270 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

Rosin 1 teaspoonful 

Beeswax 1 " 

Mutton tallow 10 " 

Borax 1-2 " 

Fine powdered charcoal 1-2 " 

Simmer well together, and use for a dressing ; white pine 
pitch is better than rosin if it can be had. When any per- 
son finds himself liable to be troubled with boils, he will 
be greatly benefited by the following excellent cathartic 
and blood purifier : — 

Flour of sulphur 2 tablespoonfuls 

Cream of tartar ........ 1 " 

Cayenne pepper 1-2 teaspoonful 

Mix, and take a teaspoonful in molasses, or syrup, for two 
days, night and morning ; then take for two days in same, 
manner, one-half teaspoonful Epsom salts in water, with a 
little ground ginger added. Alternate this till each medi- 
cine has been taken during three periods of two days each. 
Even after a boil has commenced to form, taking such 
medicine will be of great benefit. 



HYDROCELE 

Is a watery collection in the scrotum, or bag containing 
the testicles ; it is not unusual with boys soon after birth, 
and is often viewed with alarm by the parents, who may 
very likely regard it as a rupture and a great misfortune. 

We have cured a number of them by ordering the scro- 
tum and adjoining parts to be bathed several times daily 
with a strong decoction of oak bark, say two or three 
ounces of the inner bark, steeped for two hours in a pint 
of water ; strain, and add one teaspoonful of alum. 

When this trouble occurs during youth or manhood it 
is necessary to wear a cloth belt, to which is attached a 



INGROWING TOE-NAILS. 27 1 

sack; this may be so adjusted as to support the scrotum. 
This means, with bathing, will often effect a cure. 

Should it be necessary to puncture the spot and draw 
the water off, this operation will, of course, be performed 
only by a physician. 

WENS 

Are small encysted tumors, usually appearing about the 
head, neck, and face, and varying in size from that of a 
pea to that of a teacup. When small they may be caused 
to disappear by binding tightly upon them something like 
a silver half or quarter dollar for a few days. Some per- 
sons practice treating them by giving a quick blow ; this 
will break them, when they will be absorbed in a few days 
without further trouble. 

We have removed them, when as large as a hen's egg, 
with the knife, taking care not to cut the sac or cyst in 
which the tumor is enclosed, otherwise the sac might fill 
again. Another mode of treating them is to prick or 
puncture the wen in a number of places, eight or ten, and 
to wash it twice a day with a solution of blue vitriol, cop- 
peras, or alum, and bind a piece of flannel over the place. 

INGROWING TOE-NAILS 

Are caused by wearing shoes or boots that are not properly 
fitted to the feet, being too tight or too short, or such as 
bring a pressure upon the toes ; and no person with good 
sense enough to wear proper fitting boots need ever be 
tormented with these uninvited affections. To many per- 
sons this tendency of the nail may seem to be a small 
matter, but in some instances it is carried to such an ex- 
tent, that the person is laid up, unable to walk, step, or 
wear anything upon the foot ; and in such cases the suffer- 
ing is severe. 



272 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

When the nail shows any tendency of this sort, let it 
be scraped upon the top until it is quite thin, being care- 
ful not to cut through to the quick ; the nail can be soft- 
ened and the scraping done much easier after the feet 
have been washed in warm lye water. This scraping will 
weaken the nail, so as to overcome, in a great measure, its 
tendency to draw the sides down into the flesh, or will 
make the nail more flat. After this, little tufts of cotton 
can be gradually put under the sides of the nail to help 
spread it ; and to assist in relieving the pressure upon the 
flesh, a notch may be cut in the centre of the forward edge 
of the nail, which will naturally try to fill up the place, and 
thus have a tendency to draw away from the sides. 

The " Boston Medical and Surgical Journal " publishes 
the following as being a most successful method of treat- 
ment : " Take a small piece of tallow and heat it hot in a 
spoon, then pour it upon the granulations, or place where 
the nail has pressed into the toe ; the effect of this opera- 
tion, in relieving the pain and bringing about a cure, is 
wonderful. This method has been tried many times, and 
with the most gratifying results ; a second operation has 
rarely been needed." It is certainly a very simple remedy, 
and we say, "Try it." Another thing that can be readily 
tried is to bathe the feet, then put powdered alum around 
the nail ; this will reduce the inflammation and harden the 
flesh, so that the nail can be cut away, and ease thus 
secured. 

WHITLOWS, OR FELONS, 

Are ailments to which the fingers and thumbs are liable ; 
and if there is any difference or distinction between the 
two, it may consist in the fact of a felon being deeper 
seated. They are often located close around the nails ; 
commencing with a swelling, redness, throbbing, and great 
pain ; there soon appears a white spot in the centre, which 



WHITLOWS, OR FELONS. 273 

shows that a collection of matter is there, and this is to be 
opened with a lancet or sharp knife to allow the contents 
to escape. 

It is asserted by some that pieces of lemon fastened to 
the ailing spot will effect a cure ; another method is to 
make a decoction of herbs, such as tansy or wormwood ; 
add a little soft soap, and hold the hand in the steam or 
the liquid for fifteen or thirty minutes ; the steam can be 
confined by putting a cloth over the vessel, and holding 
the hand under this covering, and immersed in the water. 
Still another way is to make a thick syrup-like mass of 
half ounce Venice turpentine, or white pine pitch, dissolved 
with a tablespoonful soft soap ; spread this upon a cloth, 
and fasten about the spot. Another and a common mode 
of treating is to make a strong lye from wood ashes, and 
hold the hand in it as hot as can be borne, at intervals, for, 
perhaps, ten minutes at a time. A salve for felons may be 
made as follows : — 

Sweet oil, tallow, or lard 1 wine-glass 

Tobacco, bruised and steeped in it . . 1-4 ounce 

Strain, and add gum camphor, one teaspoonful ; red lead, 
half teaspoonful ; stir until thoroughly mixed ; use as 
plaster. 

Another remedy is to apply to the spot ammonia (or 
hartshorn) and tincture of cayenne, equal parts ; or a 
poultice made of equal parts of poke and blood-root, the 
roots to be grated or pulverized fine, and shavings of hard 
soap laid on the poultices, so as to come in contact with 
the felon. 

Some physicians claim a cure by soaking in strong hot 
lye, after which bathe with spirits of turpentine or petro- 
leum, repeating every ten minutes. 



274 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



CHOKING 



Is not an uncommon occurrence with children, and may 
happen while eating, or be caused by holding buttons or 
other small articles in the mouth, which, during a fit of 
laughing or loud talking, may be drawn into the windpipe 
or passage leading to the lungs, and produce most distress- 
ing results ; or it may fall back and be drawn into the 
passage leading into the stomach, and though not so dis- 
tressing or dangerous, will nearly stop the breathing, be- 
cause of the great spasmodic action created. 

If the handle of a spoon is passed into the mouth, and 
the tongue pressed down, any article that is there may be 
seen, in which case turn the spoon end for end, and it may 
be possible to reach and bring away the cause of the trouble 
with the bowl of the spoon ; if not, hold the child with the 
head downwards, and give a few quick slaps between the 
shoulders. If a grown person becomes choked with food 
or other substance, lay the head over a sofa or chair, and 
a few smart blows on the back will do much towards eject- 
ing the obstruction. To seize the throat with thumb and 
fingers, and then slap the back, is often of great help, and 
so, in some instances, is the drinking of water or any liquid 
which serves to carry the object clown If a button or 
coin has been swallowed and got into the stomach, an 
emetic of mustard and salt will bring it up. 

IVY POISONING. 

Such an occurrence is very common during the summer 
months throughout New England and in parts of the 
Middle and Western States, also in the Canadian Domin- 
ion ; in fact, in every locality where the beautiful ivy 
vines flourish. It appears to be a poison peculiar to the 
season, for it is cut by the haymakers and dried with the 



POISONING. 275 

hay; although the sheep -and cattle feed in the pastures 
and along the roadside where it grows thickly, there is no 
evidence of any ill-effect to them. 

It is, as we stated, a peculiar poison, because of other 
reasons ; some persons become severely poisoned on the 
feet, hands, face, head, and body, and are laid up by it, 
suffering terrible itching, burning, the face being swollen 
and disfigured, the eyes being closed, the nose and ears 
fearfully enlarged ; and this condition will last for a week 
and longer. Other persons will work near it, in it, and 
can allow the hands or flesh to come in contact with it 
with perfect impunity, never being affected. But, tor- 
menting as it is, one attack unfortunately does not ward off 
subsequent ones, — as is the case with the mumps. From 
experience with it, as well as observation, we recommend 
washing with a decoction of sweet flag ; if not to be had, 
use salt and water with saltpetre. If the face is poisoned, 
take an emetic, bathe it with a decoction of sweet flag, 
take salts and senna, and drink freely of pennyroyal and 
peppermint teas. 

POISONING. 

Accidents of this nature happen very often, especially in 
the night, from being in a hurry, from lack of labels, or 
other causes, all of whi^h show a want of precaution. 

The first thing to do upon learning that any person has 
taken poison into the stomach is to empty the latter of its 
contents (by means of emetics usually) ; then to apply the 
antidote of the poison that has been swallowed, — as nearly 
every poison has an antidote. Find out what has been 
swallowed, and give the antidote specified in the list ; 
after vomiting, give mucilaginous drinks, such as flaxseed 
or slippery-elm tea, whites of eggs, flour and water, starch 
and water, or milk. If opium has been taken, drink salt, 
mustard, and warm water ; do not allow the patient to 



276 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

sleep ; give drinks of cold coffee, keep him walking, throw 
water on the head and face. If the patient is cold, use 
stimulants, — ginger tea, cayenne tea, peppermint tea hot, 
— with friction and warmth. If poisons must be kept in the 
house, let them be out of the way and securely corked and 
labelled. The antidotes should be familiar to every one. 
Below we give a table or list of various poisons and 
antidotes : — 



POISON BY LAUDANUM OR OPIUM. 

Give emetics of mustard and salt in warm water, or of 
warm water alone, until vomiting is induced ; lay about the 
temples flannels, wet in water, as hot as can be borne ; 
bathe the whole head, neck, and chest with warm water or 
camphor. Do not allow the patient to yield to sleep, but 
keep in active motion. 

STRYCHNINE — ITS ANTIDOTE. 

In 1853 Dr. Tewksbury, of Portland, Maine, had a case 
of a child, in spasms from eating strychnine biscuits, 
which were intended for rats ; in that moment of great 
doubt he gave camphor and cured the child. Soon after, 
having a similar case, he cured it with camphor. He then 
tried many experiments with cats, dogs, and rabbits, — giv- 
ing them their poison, then the antidote, then giving both 
together, — in both of which methods there was no effect 
upon the animal ; he then administered the poison alone 
with the result of quickly killing the dog or animal. From 
these and other tests camphor is set down as an antidote 
for this deadly poison. We regret that Dr. Tewksbury 
did not extend his trials and include some of the milder 
poisons, as camphor might prove an antidote for other 
poisons. 



ANTIDOTES FOR POISONS. 



277 



SNAKE-BITES. 

Where these often occur, the plan adopted is to give 
fifteen or twenty drops of hartshorn in half a wine-glassful 
of spirit and water every fifteen minutes, and to keep up 
rapid and continuous exercise, with profuse perspiration, 
for six or eight hours. In the East and in South America 
bites are frequent, and spirits and sweating is the remedy. 



STING OF WASP OR BEE, OR BITE OF 
SPIDER. 

Apply over the spot at once wet clay, black mud, sal- 
eratus, baking powder, soft soap, hard soap, or flannels wet 
with hartshorn. 



ANTIDOTES FOR POISONS. 



POISONS. 



ANTIDOTES. 



Aconite .... 
Belladona . . . 
Camphor . . . 
Croton oil . . . 
Laudanum . . . 
Opium .... 
Morphine . . 
Carbonate of soda 
Copperas . . . 
Cobalt .... 
Strychnine . . 



Prussic aci 

Lunar costic (nitrate silver 



Hartshorn (ammonia) 

Soda 

Potash 



Mustard emetic ; warm water drank 
freely. 



Camphor; mustard emetic. 

, j Teaspoonful of ammonia in pint of 

( water. 

j Tablespoonful of salt in quart of 
I water, and drink freely of it. 



Vinegar, or lemon ; afterwards give 
sweet, or castor oil, or cream. 



278 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

^ Milk and whites of eggs ; mustard 

Saltpetre J- emetics and warm water, followed 

J by oil or cream. 

Corrosive sublimate (bug poison) ) whites of eggs in water or milk ; 
Vermilion — blue vitriol ... y or wheat flour mixed thin with 
Red precipitate soapsuds. No emetics. 

Arsenic t Mustard emetics and stomach 

) pump. 

Sugar of lead (acetat plumbi) . Mustard emetics, followed by salts. 



Antimony "1 Nutgalls, or tannin ; strong tea, or 

rr . '. ' > tea of sweet fern leaves, or oak 

Tartar emetic J bark> 

Sulphuric acid 1 Water fredy? t0 dUute . sa]t and 

Nitric acid I water, magnesia, or soap in 

Muriatic acid water ; chalk and lime are anti- 
Oxalic acid J dotes - 

Matches (or phosphorus) . . Calcined magnesia. 

Carbolic acid J Flour or starch in water ; mucilag- 

inous drinks. 



BRUISES 

Are caused by falling, or by dropping anything upon a part 
of the body, or member, as, for instance, striking the hand 
or fingers with a hammer ; the effect is a feeling of numb- 
ness, followed by aching and a settling of blood at the 
spot, sometimes in the form of a blood blister. 

Cover the injured part with cloths wet with rum and 
water, or arnica ; or with a mixture of camphor and laud- 
anum. Many persons make a practice of using spirits of 
turpentine upon all small cuts, jams, and injuries of the 
sort, and with excellent results ; however, in some in- 
stances this does not agree with the flesh, and occasions a 
smarting and burning, but one trial will ascertain the fact. 
Applying hot water prevents the blood from settling at the 
spot. If the bruise is extensive and severe, use worm- 
wood, with rum or vinegar, and laid on hot. 



SPRAINS. 279 



SPRAINS 



Are so common with all classes of persons, in all sections 
of the globe, that no other explanation of it, or of its symp- 
toms are necessary ; therefore, the first thing to be done is 
to apply something which will relieve and cure, which is 
to be done by checking the flow of blood to the part 
affected, and restore to their natural condition the muscles, 
tendons, ligaments, and membranes, which have been 
stretched by the fall, blow, or effort made by them in some 
emergency. The result of such injury is an irritation, and 
if neglected, inflammation is soon set up, after which the 
part is relieved by suppuration. 

Sprains if properly treated soon after they are inflicted, 
do not get beyond the stage of irritation ; this may be 
checked, subdued, or overcome in a few hours. For a 
sprain in the ankle, knee, wrist, or elbow, as soon as pos- 
sible bathe and shower with cold water and rum, or water 
and alcohol, if it can be had, if not, use water and vinegar 
for two or more hours, until the pain ceases, keeping the 
part in a horizontal position. 

After the pain and swelling have gone, rub with lini- 
ment and wrap in flannel three or four times a day ; it will 
soon be well, although weak for some days. Cold water 
bathing will do good. The following is an excellent lini- 
ment for all sprains, injuries, rheumatism, and cramps.' 
Take — 

Aqua ammonia (hartshorn) 1 ounce 

Spirit camphor 1 

Tincture capsicum (cayenne) 1-2 

Tincture guiacum gum 1-2 

Tincture opium (laudanum) 1-2 

Powdered nitrate potassa (saltpetre) ... 1-2 

Alcohol 4 

Mix and shake well. 



280 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

If not in the vicinity of an apothecary's shop, instead of 
liniment use rum and wormwood hot as convenient, binding 
the wormwood on ; if rum or alcohol are not at hand use 
vinegar. 

If the injury is a compound of sprain and bruise, with 
breaking of the skin, bathe in warm water to remove the 
soreness and swelling ; if the skin is much broken, use a 
tablespoonful of the liniment above named in a teacupful 
of cream, in which rub some wormwood, and bind on hot 
three times a day ; after the first two or three days it can 
be dressed with sweet cream ; if there is pain still in it 
keep on the wormwood. 

If the feet or knee is the seat of the affliction, it should 
be kept in a horizontal position to prevent swelling as well 
as the blood from settling at the spot. 

SCALDS AND BURNS 

Must be taken care off at the earliest moment after they 
are received, and the object of treatment is to keep the air 
shut out and prevent the extension of inflammation till a 
new cuticle or skin can form. The number of remedies 
used for the treatment of these injuries is very large, and 
from the list we select the following, which experience has 
proved to be effectual. 

That which has given the most satisfaction in our treat- 
ment has been nitrate of silver, or lunar caustic. Take one 
drachm or piece, the size of a bean, of this, and having 
crushed it fine, dissolve in a tumbler or teacup half full of 
water ; wet cloths with this preparation and lay them upon 
the burn. As this mixture will stain the hands or flesh, 
the cloth can either be dipped in the solution, or the latter 
can be dipped out with a spoon and put on the cloths. 
However, any stain that is received will soon wear off. 
This mixture should be made and kept in a bottle ready 



SCALDS AND BURNS. 28 1 

for use. We do not know as the use of this preparation 
for this purpose is known ; in fact, we have never heard or 
read of its being used ; but our experience has proved it to 
be most valuable. It subdues inflammation in a few min- 
utes. Another remedy which is in high favor, and thought 
by a great number to be the best that can be secured, is 
common wheat flour ; take a dredging-box and cover the 
injured place with flour, spreading it on profusely; when 
the flour next the surface dries it can be easily removed or 
washed off and a new coating put on. Another remedy is 
to dissolve half teaspoonful sugar of lead or alum in half 
a pint of water, and apply cloths wet with it over the 
affected parts for an hour or two, at the end of which time 
there can be used the salve next given in the list of cures. 
These washes should be made and bottled ready for use. 

The happiest results are asserted to follow the use of a 
salve, made of equal parts beeswax, sweet oil, and spirits 
of turpentine ; melt the wax and oil together, and stir in 
the turpentine, stirring till the mass is cold, in order to 
get it thoroughly mixed ; spread upon a cloth and apply 
over the wounded place, renewing the salve as often as 
necessary, or every three hours, as it dries. 

In many cases there is great benefit received from a 
poultice of slippery-elm and milk, spreading it upon the 
place, and applying another before the first becomes dry. 
The whites of eggs are used by some ; also eggs beaten up 
with olive oil ; also bathing the part in new milk, or keep- 
ing on it cloths wet with new milk ; lime water mixed 
with oil (it may be either sweet or linseed) makes a dress- 
ing which, in the experience of many, is satisfactory. 

In dressing burns or scalds, if any of the clothing sticks 
to the skin or flesh, it should not be pulled oE, but a piece 
must be cut out of the clothing, clipped close with scissors, 
and left while the salve or dressing, which is used, should 
be spread all over that, as well as on the other parts of the 
burn. 



282 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

As burns and scalds are a class of accidents to which 
persons of all classes, conditions, and positions in life are 
liable, we would suggest that, whenever it can be done, a 
salve or preparation for use in case of such occurrences be 
made and kept where it may be had at a moment's notice. 
After somebody has been burned is a poor time to hunt 
around to learn ivhat is good, and to see if it can be made ; 
besides at such times if persons have known what was good 
they are liable to become excited and forget it. 

We advocate the doctrine of being prepared for such 
emergencies. 

FREEZING, OR FROSTBITE. 

Every person is familiar with this condition, though, 
perhaps, all are not aware how soon and how entirely with- 
out the knowledge of a person a part may be frozen. Those 
who are obliged to be out in severe weather should have 
the hands and feet, nose and ears well protected ; or if not 
the exposed parts ought to be very frequently rubbed. If 
any person is troubled with cold feet continually, sprinkle 
red pepper inside the stockings, or wrap the feet in paper, 
or serve the hands in the same way ; paper thus employed 
will be found wonderfully effective in preserving from the 
cold. The brakemen on the railroads adopt this method 
of putting papers under their coats, and are much benefited 
by the practice. 

Upon learning that any part has been frozen the person 
should be kept away from the heat ; snow should be placed 
on the parts affected, if such should be the ears or face ; 
if the feet or hands let them be rubbed briskly with snow 
or cold water until the place assumes a natural appear- 
ance ; then let the parts be rubbed dry with soft cloths, 
after which put on an ointment made as follows : — 

Take an even teaspoonful of alum (powdered) and dis- 



CHILBLAINS. 283 

solve in a tablespoonful of water ; then mix it with two 
tablespoonfuls of cream until it forms a salve ; spread it 
upon linen cloths and place it upon the affected parts, 
repeating frequently. 

If in a country district, and no alum can be had, steep a 
little tea, say, enough for four cups, in one wine-glass- 
ful of water, strain, and mix with two wine-glassfuls of 
cream ; stir until well mixed ; then use the salve or cream. 
These salves are at hand, and are excellent for burns, 
sores, bruises, and for boils after the cores are out. 



CHILBLAINS 

Are painful affections of the heels and toes, sometimes the 
hands ; brought on by their being wet and exposed to cold ; 
the skin is inflamed and of a dark red or purple color, while 
the pain occurs at intervals, and is of an intensely sharp, 
shooting nature, and accompanied by an intolerable itch- 
ing ; the skin may remain whole, or it may break, and a 
thin discharge be thrown out, while in very severe cases 
the skin may slough off and a sort of ulcer be left ; this 
trouble attacks mainly children and elderly persons and in 
cold weather only. 

Place the feet in cold water for a while to take away the 
aching ; take three tablespoonfuls of mutton tallow or lard 
and one of kerosene, warm slowly, mix together, and 
anoint the feet; or steep a quart of wood ashes in two 
gallons of water for twenty or thirty minutes, then strain ; 
wash the feet in this as warm as can be borne, then anoint 
with mutton tallow or sweet oil ; or soak the feet in 
hot water with salt added, and rub with lard or tallow ; or 
steep boughs of ground hemlock, juniper, or cedar, and 
bathe the feet in the decoction ; afterwards rub with tallow 
or lard. 

Those near a drug store, or an apothecary, can use the 
following liniment : — 



284 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

Water ammonia 1 teaspoonful 

Spirits turpentine 1 " 

Laudanum 1 " 

Saltpetre 1 " 

Alcohol 4 ounces 

Water 4 

Mix, and rub well with it, then anoint with mutton tallow, 
lard, or cold cream. 

BUNION 

Is an inflamed sac or case surrounding the great toe, and 
mostly on the inside of it. The cause is usually from long- 
continued pressure of a tight boot or shoe. The toe should 
be bathed in water as warm as can be borne, in which put 
a teaspoonful of soda or saleratus, then place cloths around 
it wet in a solution of sugar of lead (a teaspoonful of lead 
to a pint of water), and renew for several hours as often as 
it becomes dry. When in the rural districts, away from an 
apothecary shop, and sugar of lead is not at hand, bruise 
finely a raw onion, wet it with vinegar, and apply to the 
toe, renewing it as often as it becomes dry ; in a few hours 
the inflammation will have subsided. Care must be taken 
not to repeat the pressure. In cases where the pressure 
has been long continued, the cartilages of the joint are en- 
larged, and the individual must go through life with a big 
toe joint. 

When there is a soreness around the joint, it is a good 
plan to take a piece of buckskin or other soft leather two 
inches in diameter, cut a hole in it the size of the sore spot, 
then shave the edge thin, and put wax or sticking plaster 
on it to stick it to the toe, or, if preferred, wind a thread 
around it for its confinement. By this means the bunion 
is protected from pressure. The toe may be painted or 
washed with tincture of iodine, with half water to excite 
absorption, which will reduce the enlargement. Washing 



NOSE-BLEED. 285 

with iodine may be repeated. Epsom salts will cool the 
blood and diminish the heat. 

DEAFNESS. 

Accumulation of wax in the passage of the ear, dryness, 
excessive moisture, or inflammation may cause the above. 
In many cases persons who have considered themselves 
deaf have found the whole trouble to be occasioned by 
wax, which had been allowed to collect ; and no reason can 
be given for such condition but carelessness. The ears 
should be cleansed as well as the teeth, or any part of the 
body. With some persons the accummulation is so con- 
stant that daily attention is a necessity. 

Should the cause be from excessive secretions, let -the 
ears be washed with warm water and castile soap ; then 
with a soft cloth on the end of a stick remove any wax by 
turning the stick around. Then, to a teaspoonful of sweet 
oil, add five drops of creosote, put a few drops of the mix- 
ture on a little tuft of cotton, and put it into the ears. Or 
in place of the creosote, five drops of liquid carbolic acid 
can be used. The ears being of delicate structure, we 
would advise, in case of any ailment, consulting the best 
doctor who can be found. 

NOSE-BLEED. 

With this everybody is familiar, so that it needs no de- 
scription ; persons of sanguine temperament and those of 
plethoric habit are usually most liable to be affected, and 
wherever there is a tendency of blood to the head, we may 
reasonably expect to find nose-bleed. When present it 
may be free and copious, or flow only drop by drop, or it 
may happen so much as to constitute an ailment of itself ; 
and yet it may be the warning or indication that points 
out some disease, or it may operate as a means of escape 
from some malady. Nature often makes use of the nose 



286 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

as a method of bleeding, and when the discharge is not so 
abundant as to produce faintness and exhaustion, the act 
is always followed by a feeling of relief. If the bleeding 
is difficult to stop, and the quantity discharged is large, 
medical advice should at once be taken. 

In ordinary cases of bleeding there are a number of 
remedies that have been tried with varying success, and of 
the list may be given the following : The application of 
cold water to the parts, or of a tuft of cotton or lint, dipped 
in sugar of lead or alum water ; let the lint be dipped into 
the solution and then placed in the nostril. The following 
method is claimed to have been discovered by accident, 
and one physician asserts that, for a period of three years, 
he has used it with uniform success ; this is simply to 
raise the arms above the head, and hold them there. The 
feet may be put into warm water, to draw the blood down 
from the head ; cold applications may be used on the back 
of the neck and the temples, or a mixture of alum and 
vinegar for wetting the inside of the nose. 

A method of which we advise making a trial is the fol- 
lowing : Make a small compress, place it on the upper lip, 
and fasten there with a cloth bandage or handkerchief tied 
at the back of the neck. By thus bringing a pressure upon 
the spot where the artery comes through the jaw below 
the nose — for the face, the hemorrhage is at once checked. 
We have had cases of accident where the blood flowed 
from the back of the nose almost into the throat. We 
took ten or twelve pieces of sponge as large as a thimble 
when softened, tied them fast to a thread or piece of twine, 
about an inch and a half apart, wet them with sugar of 
lead or alum water ; then with a probe or bent wire passed 
them one by one down into the back of the nose until the 
opening was filled, left them there for three or four hours. 
The blood absorbed by the pieces of sponge, coagulated 
and formed a pad or compress. Both sides can be treated 



ANATOMY OF THE EYE. 



287 



in the same way, and they may be readily pulled out by the v 

thread one at a time. 



ANATOMY OF THE EYE. 

D 




ferior 



H G 

THE MUSCLES OF THE RIGHT EYE. 

A superior straight ; B, Superior oblique, passing through a pulley, D ; G, in- 
oblique ; H, external straight, and back of it the internal straight muscle. 




G, The lachrymal or tear gland ; it empties by several ducts upon the upper eyelid ; 
the tears run into the cavity D, a little basin fitted for their reception ; the two canals 
C, C, drain off the tears through the duct, B, into the nose. 



288 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



INFLAMMATION OF THE EYES 

Is a condition frequently induced by injury, the presence 
of foreign substances, cold, wet weather, straining by night- 
work, as, for instance, with a poor light, with fine print, or 
for too long a time, close application to some nice work, 
great arterial and nervous excitement, or excessive use of 
alcoholic drinks or tobacco. The eye is possessed of a 
general redness, the white is red in spots, scarlet or crim- 
son, caused by the fulness of the blood vessels. In some 
cases there is a patch on one or both sides, and in others, 
the whole white of the eye is colored. When the eyes are 
thus inflamed they must have rest and treatment. Wash 
them every hour in milk and warm water ; wash the face 
and head with cold water, and make the following for the 
eyes : — 

Sulphate of zinc 2 grains 

Borax 3 ' % 

Soft water 1 ounce 

Settle for an hour, then pour off and add ten drops of 
laudanum ; put a few drops into the eyes every hour ; also 
take of — 

Epsom salts 2 ounces 

Senna leaves 1 " 

Pulverized ginger 1 teaspoonful 

Steep for one hour in a pint of water and bottle ; dose a 
wine-glassful morning and evening. The eyes should be 
kept from the light, and in severe cases the patient should 
remain in a dark room ; in mild cases a green shade should 
be worn over them ; avoid strong drinks, and let the diet be 
low, mostly gruel and vegetable food. An excellent eye- 
water is 



INFLAMMATION OF THE EYES. 289 

Camphor water 2 ounces 

Liquid honey 1 teaspoonful 

Tincture of witch-hazel 4 " 

Borax and sulphate of zinc, each ... 2 grains 

Sulphate of morphia 1-2 " 

Carbolic acid 10 drops 

A few drops every two hours. If the patient is of delicate 
constitution, or a female, the following wash may be used : — 

Sulphate of zinc 1 grain 

Rose water 1 ounce 

Sulphate morphia 1-2 grain 

Put a few drops in the eyes every hour. In some cases ot 
inflamed eyes the lids are the parts principally affected, and 
the same wash can be used, and the same cathartic taken, 
the eyes being kept from the light. If the inflammation 
does not subside or diminish by the third day, use the 
following : — 

Sulphate of zinc 3 grains 

Sweet cream 1 tablespoonful 

Rub and dissolve thoroughly before using — a few drops 
or piece the size of a pea ; use frequently. 

Whether the ball or lid of the eye be inflamed, it is 
advisable, if the patient be feeble or delicate, to wash the 
eyes several times daily with warm milk and water ; but 
should the patient be strong and full of vigor, cold milk 
may be used, or alum curd ; raw potato scraped is some- 
times useful. 

Great relief will be experienced from inhaling the fumes 
of hot vinegar, in which is cayenne pepper, to induce a 
discharge from the nose. Those not accustomed to using 
snuff can, by taking a little, induce sneezing and a dis- 
charge also. A blister behind one or both ears will aid in 
the cure, and a little mustard or red pepper on a cloth, 



29O OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

rubbed so briskly as almost to blister or remove the skin 
back of the ear, will do as well in mild cases. We have 
known persons in rural districts with weak and overworked 
eyes to take the following : Put one ounce of rain or boiled 
water into a bottle, then put in four or six pieces of cam- 
phor gum, shake it well for half an hour, pour off the 
water, remove the gum, and bottle the water ; put three or 
four drops in each eye, if inflamed, every two or three 
hours. Another remedy is reported from experience, viz. : 
Put one ounce of rain or boiled water in a vial, and add 
twenty drops of essence of peppermint ; of this put three 
or four drops in the affected eye every two hours ; in case 
the eye feels cold, omit it for a while. 

STRUCTURE OF THE EYE. 




d, The sclefotic, or tough hard casing which gives form to the eye, in front of 
which is set, like the crystal of a watch, the transparent cornea ; c, the choroid ; e, a 
black lining beneath the retina ; b, the retina or expansion of the optic nerve ; 0, the 
optic nerve; the lens is kept in place by the ciliary processes, ^7 in the back of the 
eye is /z, the vitreous or glassy humor ; in front and resting upon it, is a, the crystalline 
lens, which brings the rays of light to a focus on the retina ; z, z, the iris, which floats 
in the aqueous humor : and k, the pupil or hole in the iris or curtain. 



EARACHE INFLAMMATION OF THE EAR. 2C)I 




A diagram showing how the image of an object is formed 
on the retina by the crystalline lens. 

EARACHE— INFLAMMATION OF THE EAR 

Arises from cold, exposure to moisture, or from an injury 
received on the head, or it may be the result of cold from 
having the hair cut short, or any cause that may inflame 
the membrane lining the ear and covering the drum. 

The treatment most useful is heat in and about the ear. 
If the pain is severe, take the heart out of an onion, put in 
it a piece of camphor as large as a bean, a piece of tobacco 
the same size, and ten drops of sweet oil ; put the heart 
back into the onion and bake or roast it well ; squeeze out 
the juice, and put a few drops into the ear with a tuft of 
cotton over it. This should be removed several times a 
day ; a few drops of laudanum on the cotton in the ear 
will aid in subduing the pain. Let the feet be put into hot 
water two or three times a day to draw the blood away 
from the head. Should there be heat and fever about the 
ear, hold a heated shovel, flat-iron, or hot brick near the 
ear to heat the side of the head. 

A flannel wet with hot vinegar laid over the side of the 
head, with a hot iron near it, will often relieve the heat and 
fever. Should inflammation go on to suppuration and dis- 
charge, let the ear be washed by injecting into it a warm 



292 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

decoction of oak bark, blackberry root, or strong sage tea. 
If the inflammation takes place in the summer time, get a 
handful of chickweed, bruise it into a mass, warm, and put 
five drops of laudanum upon a piece of it as large as will 
fill the ear, and place it in the opening of the ear ; keep 
the bowels open. 



TO PREVENT COLD FEET. 

Many persons are troubled with cold feet during a great 
portion of the time, and will be glad to know that they can 
be relieved from this uncomfortable feeling by the following 
method : Turn the stocking inside out, and sprinkle slightly 
with dry cayenne pepper or mustard ; then reverse and 
wear them. Another plan adopted during very cold 
weather is to wrap the foot before the stocking is on in 
paper ; this will be found of great benefit during the day- 
time. We advise our readers not to go to bed with cold feet 
if they can avoid it — which they can do by observing the 
following directions : Before retiring, or at any time during 
the day, remove the stockings or socks, and take a towel 
or coarse cloth and make a stirrup, in which place the foot, 
holding the ends in the hands, then draw the cloth across 
the sole of the foot briskly, alternating the drawing with 
the right and left hand : the friction will soon warm the 
feet, and draw the blood to the surface, and the warmth 
will remain many hours. In case the legs and tops of the 
feet are cold, treat them in the same way by rubbing 
briskly with a coarse towel or cloth, or a flesh brush If 
the legs are constantly cold from poor circulation in warm 
weather, rub them with cayenne pepper in rum or vinegar, 
and take a teaspoonful of mustard-seed before breakfast to 
quicken the circulation of the blood. 



NEAR-SIGHTEDNESS. 293 



NEAR-SIGHTEDNESS. 

There can be no doubt that the number of persons 
affected by near-sightedness has been of late years, and 
is now, on the increase, and when the cause was sought 
has been found to be defective light. Either too strong or 
too dim a light may produce this difficulty. Sitting in a 
school-room and facing the light has a tendency to this 
affection. When persons have good sight they should take 
proper care of it, and the chances are that they can preserve 
it. For this purpose a few general hints may be accept- 
able. 

First, when reading, do not allow the light, either by 
day or night, to fall upon the eye ; let the position be such 
that it may shine over one of the shoulders and illuminate 
the reading matter. This will be found very comfortable. 
Second, after reading for a time, if the head and eyes be- 
come tired, and the latter blurred so as to make the print 
appear indistinct at times, lay the paper aside for a time, 
as further effort in this direction is not only work, but de- 
cidedly injurious to the eyes. Third, reading too fine print 
is another cause ; when this is found to be troublesome, 
and to demand the near approach of the print to the eyes, 
let somebody else do the reading, or do as little of it as 
possible. Fourth, reading in the steam or horse cars, 
where, owing to their motion, it is impossible to hold any 
reading matter still ; the constant shaking keeps the eyes 
continually on the greatest strain to follow the lines and 
not lose the place, while the effect upon the sight is ex- 
ceedingly bad. Fifth, do not read when the light is dim, 
as at dusk, nor by an exceedingly bright light. 

When the sight is found to be failing, and it is neces- 
sary to bring all reading matter nearer to the eyes, and 
glasses are required, have them well adjusted, and when 



294 0UR HOME DOCTOR. 

they fail in giving satisfaction, get them changed for a pair 
to suit the eyes. 

We heard many years ago that the then aged John 
Quincy Adams had in his old age renewed his sight, by 
rubbing the eyes many times a clay from the outer angle 
inward toward the nose. We advised a friend, sixty-seven 
years old, to try it ; he did, and in a few weeks could 
read the Boston " Herald" without glasses. We have 
often advised our friends to try it, but have not traced 
them for the results. 



TOOTHACHE 

Needs no description, nearly every person having learned 
much about it by experience. It may be caused by an ex- 
posed nerve or an ulcerated condition of the gums. The 
remedies adopted for the cure of the complaint are in- 
numerable, and in some cases nothing will stop the aching 
but to pull the tooth. 

When there is a cavity in the tooth and severe pain, 
relief is sometimes afforded by inserting a tuft of cotton or 
lint wet with diluted hartshorn, being careful not to wet 
the gum or inside of the mouth ; or put some dry mustard 
in a tuft of cotton and fill the hole with it. A very com- 
mon, and in many cases effectual, remedy is a mixture of 
salt and cloves rubbed fine and put around the tooth, or on 
the gums when all the teeth ache. When the whole jaw or 
face aches it may arise from cold or derangement of the 
stomach, in which case an emetic of a teaspoonful of mus- 
tard and half as much fine salt in a teacupful of water 
should be given, and if it does not operate, should be fol- 
lowed by warm water till vomiting is induced ; when the 
stomach is cleared the toothache will be gone. An excel- 
lent mixture, or nervine, may be made as follows : — 



CANKER. 295 

Liquid camphor .1 drachm 

Tincture of cloves . . . 1 " 

Chloroform 1 " 

Laudanum 1 " 

Tannin . . 5 grains 

Put a little on cotton and fill the cavity, or put between 
the affected teeth. 

We have known of several cases in which this complaint 
has been cured by another person rubbing the face over the 
spot with the hands, the magnetism or electricity most 
likely doing the work. 

CANKER 

Is caused by a derangement of the circulation, or slight 
overflow of the bile. Children and infants are usually 
subject to it, but youths and adults are also affected. 
It appears as little white or greenish-yellow spots or 
patches on the tongue, gums, or inner side of the 
lips, these places being very sore to the touch ; if not 
checked it may extend downwards, and, by causing ulcera- 
tion of the bowels, terminate in death. To cure canker in 
infants, the mother must chew small pieces of rhubarb 
very slowly, swallowing the saliva, and using in a day a 
piece as large as a chestnut. This will affect the mother's 
milk, which will act as a cathartic upon the child. Also 
steep a little gold-thread, strain, and add honey or white 
sugar and a piece of borax as large as a bean ; with this 
wash the child's mouth several times a day by means of a 
small stick, to the end of which is tied a soft rag. For 
youths and adults we advise a laxative made as follows : — 

Flour sulphur 2 tablespoonfuls 

Cream tartar 1 " 

Cayenne pepper 1-2 teaspoonful 



296 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

Mix in a cupful of molasses ; dose, a teaspoonful before 
eating and before retiring. 

Take a teaspoonful of Epsom salts, with a little ginger 
added, in a gill of water ; repeat this for several days. 
Wash the mouth with a decoction of gold-thread, oak bark, 
or rub with alum ; chew oak bark or sage leaves. 



CARE OF THE SICK. 

We often hear it said that " everything depends upon 
good nursing ; " but how few there are who understand 
how to care for the sick in a proper manner. For this 
delicate and skilful work nature seems to have specially 
appointed women ; and this appointment appears to be 
universally accepted, for in almost every case we find her 
ministering to the wants of the sick and suffering ; and 
in adapting her for this purpose all the requirements have 
been freely bestowed for the task. 

The physician being the one in charge, and upon whom 
responsibility rests regarding the sick, should have all his 
orders strictly obeyed, as it is almost needless to say. The 
apartment of an invalid should be roomy and well lighted, 
and so arranged that the sun can enter, be quiet, and 
where impure odors or gases cannot reach it, — fresh air 
being all important to the sick. No persons should be 
allowed in or about the room tvho are not needed. If the sick 
person wishes to see any one, it may be beneficial for him 
to see the one desired, but this is different from allowing 
all who call and inquire for the patient to "just run up 
and see him or her a minute." Let the invalid have all 
the rest possible ; do not keep on the go about the room, 
doing something all the time ; such a course would worry 
and distract some well persons. If anything is really 
wanted, attend to that without talk or noise, as sick per- 
sons are suspicious that they are being talked about. 



CARE OF THE SICK. 297 

Above all things, never whisper in a room with the sick. If 
anything is to be said they should know it, or it should be 
told in another apartment. 

The clothing and bedding should be changed frequently, 
the linen thoroughly dried and warmed before using ; all 
the articles used in the room kept clean ; the water used 
ought to be pure ; the temperature of the room must 
not be allowed to vary from cold to warm, and back again, 
but be kept at a certain point, from sixty to sixty-five 
degrees, and for this purpose a thermometer must be 
employed. Means must be used to secure fresh air sev- 
eral times daily for the patient without exposing to drafts. 

The nurse should not confine herself too long at a time, 
but must have the benefit of fresh air and exercise, in 
order to maintain her proper physical condition, for it will 
be unfortunate indeed (for the patient) should she become 
impatient and irritable ; on the contrary, it is indispensable 
that she should be cheerful, willing, and hopeful, in order to 
inspire the invalid with her own desirable feelings in this 
respect, and help and encourage the patient. 

The greatest care should be used in selecting a nurse, 
as everything depends upon her. Her age should be from 
twenty or twenty-five to forty-five or fifty years. She 
should be a well person, and able to help to lift her patient 
as desired ; a cheerful and sunny disposition is to be greatly 
prized, as it is of great benefit to an invalid, upon whom 
nervousness and irritability have a most injurious effect. 
It is very desirable that a nurse be an orderly person, and 
able to find any article without delay. She ought to be 
intelligent and quick to note any change in the patient's 
condition, and be able to inform the physician. All other 
qualifications, like neatness, education, or pleasant man- 
ners, are so much the better. A good nurse is the doctor's 
greatest dependence. 

Let things be placed where they can be found without a 



298 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

hunt, the effect of which is very disturbing to a sick per- 
son ; have the medicine, drinks, and food given at the 
times and in the manner ordered, and do not give anything 
without orders, as many a disastrous result has been the 
consequence of such practice, especially in regard to giving 
food. 

WATCHERS. 

The business of such person requires a great deal of tact 
and prudence ; it is not necessary for them to entertain the 
patient, not in any sense of the word ; but their duty is to 
see that the wants of the invalid are supplied, and his com- 
fort attended to, — all of which can and should be done 
without much talking. 

The watcher should ascertain what medicines and drinks 
are to be given, how much of each, and at what times they 
are to be taken ; these orders should be plainly written and 
given to the watcher. 

The invalid must be treated with attention and kind- 
ness, the room properly warm, the patient's eyes shielded 
from the light, all arrangements convenient, and with an 
object of being satisfactory to the one cared for. As a 
rule, the office of watcher is filled by any person who can 
be found willing to come and remain over-night ; and very 
many persons who do so have been working all day, and 
are unfit for such service. We believe it to be more bene- 
ficial to the afflicted, or those needing watchers ; also safer, 
and more economical in the end, to engage those skilled 
in such occupation ; pay them (means permitting) rather 
than accept the kindness of friends, who are often noisy, 
forgetful, or go fast asleep, and breathe or snore so that 
the invalid cannot sleep or rest quietly. 



OATMEAL. 299 

OATMEAL. 

As we have in this work on so many different occasions 
spoken favorable of this article of diet, advising a liberal 
use of it not only when ailing, but during health, we wish 
to say a few words in explanation of this subject. During 
the past ten years its sale has increased wonderfully, so 
much so that we believe it no exaggeration to state it as 
ten times as large now as at the beginning of that period. 
At all of the large hotels it is regularly found at the morning 
meal;. and the same can be said truly of the small hotels 
and boarding-houses ; and in innumerable houses through- 
out the land it is found almost daily. Grocers will inform 
you that their sales increase each successive year; and 
what is the cause of this growing demand ? 

Simply because the people have found it to be a nour- 
ishing food, easy of digestion, excellent as a regulating diet 
for the bowels, and because they are learning how to 
cook it. 

Many have told us that "they did not like oatmeal," 
and if their experience has been with such an article as we 
have many times had placed before us, and called oatmeal, 
we cannot blame them, for surely nobody would be enlisted 
in favor of such uncooked food. Having advised its use so 
decidedly, and believing that many persons have formed a 
dislike because of the manner in which it had been pre- 
pared for their use, we have described a method of cooking 
so as to render it both palatable and nourishing to the 
robust and the invalid. 

In four cups of cold water put one cup of oatmeal (use 
the coarse meal, the fine is not so good) ; put it in a tin 
can that will hold two quarts, the cover of which fits on 
closely ; place it in an iron pot or kettle, in which is enough 
hot water to half cover the can, and put a large nail in the 
pot, so as to prevent the bottom of the can from fitting too 



300 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

closely to that of the pot ; boil for three hours, renewing 
the supply of water in the pot as needed, and using an 
ordinary tin cover over the pot. During the first half 
hour's boiling remove the cover of the can, and stir the 
contents two or three times to prevent settling, and when 
stirring for the last time add a teaspoonful of salt, or more 
if needed. The longer it is boiled the better ; but we think 
three hours short enough ; six hours is better. Eat with 
cream, milk, sugar, maple syrup, butter, or other article as 
suits the taste. We feel confident that after one trial of 
oatmeal prepared in this manner, you will declare in favor 
of oatmeal pudding. 

MUSTARD PLASTER THAT DOES NOT 
BLISTER. 

Few persons know how to make a mustard plaster 
properly, although they are made and used so extensively. 
The plaster or paste commonly made and used is a harsh 
and distressing one ; — often succeeds in blistering the 
skin in a masterly manner^ leaving soreness for days. 

To make a mustard plaster, mix the mustard in t the 
whites of eggs, stirring them thoroughly together. To 
prevent this from drying too quickly when put on, spread 
it upon the surface of some such poultice as bread or 
cracker, and apply so that it will come next the skin. Let 
it remain as long as desired, and it will be found not only 
to draw thoroughly, but will not blister even the skin of 
an infant. A piece of thin muslin should be placed over 
the surface of the poultice to prevent its sticking to the 
skin. 

MERCURY —QUICKSILVER. 

No mention is made in the Old Testament of quicksilver ; 
but an Oriental writer tells us that the Egyptians used it, 



MERCURY QUICKSILVER. 3<DI 

in their attempts to imitate the miracles of Moses, in 
wands and rods, which under the influence of solar hert 
moved liked serpents. 

Aristotle and Theophrastus speak of liquid silver. The 
first says that Daedalus (who lived thirteen hundred years 
before the Christian era) obtained a power by pouring 
quicksilver, which he got from the priests of Memphis ; 
and Pliny speaks of the method of obtaining it from 
Cinnabar. 

Mercury was first used as a medicine by the Arabian 
physicians, who used it for vermin and cutaneous erup- 
tions. Paracelsus comes in for the curse of introducing it 
as an internal remedy. It has been called by a number of 
names ; but the present one (mercury) is after that of the 
messenger of the gods, owing to its volatility. It has been 
imported from Spain, Gibraltar, and the Italian islands ; 
but recently a gentleman showed us samples from Cali- 
fornia, where he represented it to be abundant. 

One of the Arabian physicians declares it harmless ; 
that a patient took ttvo pounds daily for awhile without 
injury. Another states that with only four ounces at a dose 
his patient was badly salivated. 

Careful observation shows that the fumes, and not the 
mercury in a mass, produce serious results. Those work- 
ing in factories and surrounded by the vapors become not 
only salivated, but ulcerated, and die of hemorrhage. 

The following is a matter of history : In 1810 the man- 
of-war " Triumph " and schooner " Phips " received on 
board several tons of quicksilver, saved from a vessel 
wrecked near Cadiz. The bags becoming rotten the con- 
tents escaped, and all on board became more or less 
affected. Within two weeks two hundred were salivated, 
two died, and all the animals — sheep, dogs, cats, rats, 
fowls, and a canary, even mice and cockroaches — were 
destroyed. 



302 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

Watson's " London Lectures " relates, in Dr. Farre's 
practice, the case of a lady who dreaded mercury. Two 
grains were given without her knowledge ; but she told her 
physician she knew by the sensation in her mouth. Copious 
salivation came on in a few hours. She died at the end of 
two years from the effects of mercury, having lost a por- 
tion of the jawbone by necrosis, or decay. Another case 
is related of a man whose wife used mercury in an oint- 
ment for an eruption on her neck. He became slightly 
salivated, and had sore gums. This happened three sev- 
eral times." 

Condie says : " So distressing are the effects of mercury 
upon the mouth, that you (the students) will often be called 
upon to do something to relieve the disease which you or 
your unfortunate brethren, with the best intentions, have 
inflicted. I have tried all sorts of expedients, asked a great 
many of my friends for the best means, and their reply is, 
' We know of nothing to a certainty.' Neither do I." 

RESULTS OF QUICKSILVER. 

Upon reading the opinions of the European writers, we 
find great diversity among them. Some indorse and use 
it as harmless, while others relate most horrible instances 
of its dreadful effects, ending in death. We think we are 
better prepared to judge of the effects of mercury and its 
compounds than they of the past, for, like the Dutchman 
who said his hindsight was better than his foresight, we can 
look back on the evil results better than they could look 
forward ; besides we have a multitude of cases, and they 
had only a few, and the practice of medicine to the masses 
was in the dark ; and the practitioner's aim was to get new 
remedies, and keep the practice and their patients, as well 
as themselves, in the dark, and we think we should be 
heard. Christison, in his work on poisons, quotes Zeller, 



MERCURIAL AFFECTIONS. 303 

Biichner, Schubarth, and other eminent chemists, who 
assert that mercury has been found in every part of the 
human body, in the bones, muscles, skin, blood, brain, 
urine, and saliva, and that the ordinary tests will not 
detect it. It is done by destructive analysis only. 

Upon this statement, who that has taken mercury or 
calomel in any of its combinations, can feel certain that the 
evils of mercury have not been transmitted to their off- 
spring, with all their never-ending results. 

From the foregoing, in case of sore mouth or sores, we 
advise gargling with flour of sulphur, two tablespoonfuls ; 
cream of tartar, one tablespoonful ; fine charcoal, half a 
tablespoonful ; mix in molasses, gargle with a little ; take as 
a laxative half a teaspoonful of sulphur and cream of tartar 
and charcoal, morning and evening, to cleanse the blood. 
If wanted for ointment, rub up in cream. Eat onions raw 
and cooked daily. Sulphur and onions permeate the whole 
body in a few hours. 

MERCURIAL AFFECTIONS. 

The pernicious effects of mercury or calomel as a medi- 
cine have for a long time been known ; but there are still 
physicians who advocate and use it. Undoubtedly, in cer- 
tain diseases, it is a powerful remedy ; but the question 
arises, " Does not the calomel set tip in tlie system a disease 
worse than the one which it overcomes?" It is admitted 
that it salivates, loosens the teeth, leaves aches, pains, and 
secondary symptoms, tenderness about the joints when 
exposed to moisture or cold, and that the patient can never 
be exposed to the changes of autumn, winter, and spring 
without a return of suffering. 

While a medical student we heard of the facts in a case 
where, for some purpose, the family doctor salivated a little 
child, but salivation did not cease and leave the child "all 



3O4 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

right " as promised ; instead of which, after an intense 
salivation, the muscles and flesh on one side of the face, 
from the chin to the ear, sloughed off, leaving the teeth, 
gums, and jaws exposed — a horrible sight. This, although 
the worst case to the writer's knowledge, is but one of 
the many that happen, but which are known only to a 
very limited extent beyond the family circle. 

We well remember a schoolmaster, who was a patient of 
ours some years ago, who was doing well and recovering 
from some dyspeptic symptoms by the use of simple medi- 
cines, and those given to him free of charge. By the 
advice of his friends he was persuaded that he could be 
cured by the treatment of a well-known doctor of large 
practice, but who used calomel extensively. His remark 
to us was, "The old doctor said he would give me some- 
thing that would either kill or cure me." Of course it was 
not for us to remonstrate, and the change of physicians 
was made. In two or three weeks the unfortunate man 
took cold, pain settled in the different joints of his body, 
which became extensively swollen. Realizing the near 
approach of death, the poor fellow confessed to us the 
dreadful mistake he had made, and bitterly lamented the 
folly that induced him to pay for his death-warrant, when 
he had a life policy, without even an assessment, for 
many years. These cases, which are but two out of scores, 
simply serve to illustrate some of the dangers of taking 
this medicine. Undoubtedly its use is on the decrease ; 
and let us hope, for the sake of those who know not its 
danger, that its use may soon be abolished and among 
things of 'the past. 

TOBACCO. 

There are seven species of this plant, but the one in 
common use is called in botany Nicotiana Tabacum. This 
plant was first discovered in America by the Spaniards, 



TOBACCO. 305 

about the year 1560, and by them exported to Europe. It 
had been used by the inhabitants of America long before 
1560. The inhabitants of the islands called it yoli, and by 
those on the continent it was called poetun. It was sent 
into Spain from Tobaco, a province of Yucatan, where it 
had been first discovered, and hence its name. 

Sir Walter Raleigh is said to have been the first who 
introduced it into England, about 1585, and taught his 
countrymen to smoke it. 

Dr. Cotton Mather (in his "Christian Philosopher"), says, 
that in 1585 one Mr. Lane carried over some of it from 
Virginia, which was the first that had ever been seen in 
Europe. For a long time nothing is said of its use, except 
by smokers, and as a medicine. It was experimented with 
by some physicians, both externally and internally ; and 
there can be little doubt but that it is a valuable and 
powerful medicine in many complaints, if scientifically in- 
vestigated and judiciously administered, which we hope 
and expect will be done. 

This plant is used extensively by the Orientals, and in 
fact by all nations, and cultivated by those who have soil 
and climate adapted to its growth and perfection. It is a 
herbaceous plant, growing erect with fine foliage, and a 
strong stem from six to nine feet high. The stalks near 
the roots are an inch or more in diameter, and with the 
roots and stems of leaves are by machinery ground into 
snuff. The habits of chewing and taking snuff came into 
use at a later period, with the numerous names for tobacco, 
cigars, and pipes. 

No description of the article of commerce is needed. 
Those who use and those who do not use it are familiar 
with its appearance, smell, and taste ; and many who now 
abhor it can testify how it once tasted, and set their heads 
in a whirl, and turned their stomachs into volcanoes. It 
has become almost universally an extensive article of com- 



306 OUR HOME DOCTOR, 

merce and luxury, and we admit frankly that its use is not 
in all cases injurious ; that while its use poisons the blood, 
and brings out dyspepsia with all its train of evils to one 
man, another is benefited ; his appetite and digestion are 
improved, his salivary glands are adequate to the calls of 
nature in mastication, and an abundant fountain for wash- 
ing — tobacco. It has been asserted that man and goats 
are the only animals which will eat tobacco, and not only 
survive, but thrive upon it. 

Tobacco, when used to excess in any one or all the 
methods, is decidedly objectionable and injurious ; and 
where two are benefited or escape uninjured, ten are 
physically, morally, permanently, and irrecoverably en- 
feebled and debilitated for life. We assert, without fear of 
proof to the contrary, that the excessive. use of tobacco is 
more injurious and lasting in its consequences than that 
of rum and alcoholic drinks ; it creates a desire for strong 
drinks, and entails lasting evils upon the third and fourth 
generations, and in many cases incapacitates its users for 
procreation of the human race. A few minutes' smoking 
after meals may aid digestion, or before retiring may in- 
duce sleep. 

It is a luxury so costly that a statement in figures will 
startle any one who sees it. Let us make an estimate. 
Lord Stanhope computes that inveterate snuff-takers take 
a pinch every ten minutes, which, with blowing the nose, 
requires one and a half minutes ; allowing sixteen hours to 
the day, will be two hours and twenty-four minutes a day ; 
and in forty years, two years are spent in filling and two 
years in blowing the nose. The expenses of snuff, boxes, 
and handkerchiefs in this luxury will be found to encroach 
on his income, as well as his time ; and in fifty years the 
amount would buy an elegant estate. If a man smokes six 
and gives away four cigars a day, at five cents = fifty cents 
per day ; three dollars and fifty cents per week = one hun- 
dred and eighty-two dollars per year — 



SALT. 307 

In 50 years = $9,100 (would buy a farm) . , . $9,100 
Chewing 2 plugs a week at 10 cents per plug is 

20 cents ; in 50 years 520 



$9,620 
Sir Isaac Newton declined snuff and tobacco, saying, "I 
cannot make necessities for myself." The late R. D. 
Mussy, professor of anatomy and surgery in Dartmouth 
and Ohio Colleges, found by experiments that two or three 
drops of tobacco oil on the tongue killed cats and dogs in 
from thirty seconds to thirty minutes. 

SALT 

In the food of man, as well as that of animals, has been a 
fruitful source of discussion among thinking persons dur- 
ing the past generation; parties for and against its use, 
each trying to sustain his argument by all available means 
and proof possible to obtain. As a disinterested party we 
wish to consider the subject in a rational light, as. it 
appears to us. 

An examination of the habits of wild and domestic 
animals shows that, almost without an exception, they have 
a strong, natural, or instinctive liking for salt. Our domes- 
tic animals show the greatest relish for it, and require a 
regular supply. Young animals have a great fondness for 
it, and its use is judged to be decidedly beneficial to them. 
Soda is found in the blood, and this would seem to indicate 
that a constant supply of it with the food is requisite, and 
we assume from these facts that salt is beneficial to man 
and animals. However, one animal's food may be another's 
poison ; the donkey, it is claimed, will thrive on thistles and 
rock salt, but a new milch cow would starve, and the 
properties of the salt kill her calf ; goats relish tobacco, 
but the nicotine in it will kill sheep ; the toucan eats strych- 
nine and the rabbit eats deadly nightshade, but both 



3 o8 



OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



articles are deadly poison to man, and and a host of four- 
footed animals. One person needs salt, another pickles 
and acids, another, soda, iron, lime, carbon, or phosphates. 
In our practice we have given for the same disease, in 
different persons, acid to one and alkali to another, accord- 
ing as the case demanded, and with equally good results 
in both instances. A test of the urine is the best proof. 



HUMAN HAIR. 

Like many things daily and hourly seen for years, we pass 
it by almost unnoticed, in spite of the fact that close 
examination would reveal wonders. Hair is found on all 
parts of the human body except the 
palms of the hands and soles of the 
feet, and when examined with a micro- 
scope, each hair is seen to have at its 
root a bulb, resembling in shape a half- 
grown onion, furnished with blood ves- 
sels, nerves, glands or oil sacks, and 
lymphatics. Each hair has along its 
entire length fine scales, like those on a 
fish. The hair of the Caucasian race, 
which to the naked eye appears round, 
is shown under the glass to be a bundle 
of five or six fibres, which form hairs of 
various shapes, as viewed from the end. 
The hair begins to grow some months before birth, con- 
tinues through life, and even after death. Cases are re- 
corded where the hair has been found growing out through 
the crevices of the cofhn, and where it had attained an 
extraordinary length and growth ; it has been found in a 
state of perfect preservation centuries after the body had 
been entombed. It is the most indestructible portion of 
the body, the growth depending upon the care taken of it 




The bulb of 
hair magnified, 
dred diametres 
sack (follicle); 
papilla, showing the cells 
and blood vessels V. 



i human 

>ix hun- 

S, the 

P, the 



HUMAN HAIR. 



309 



and the frequency of cutting. Upon the heads of females 
its length is two or three feet, although there have been 
reported to the author, cases in which the hair was five or 
five and a half feet in length, and both hair and possessor 
were in excellent health. 

A head of ordinary size has about one hundred square 

inches upon which the hair 
grows ; each square inch has 
about two thousand five hundred 
hairs, that is, fifty to the inch 
each way, and if each of these is 
three feet in length, the aggre- 
gate length of the hair would be 
one hundred and forty-six miles. 
The hair on the heads of men, 
j|| if left uncut, will grow to a length 
of eighteen or twenty inches ; if 
an inch is cut off every three 
months, this would amount to 
twenty-six feet during a period' 
of eighty years; — total length, 
one thousand two hundred miles. 
It is a notable fact that females 
are seldom bald, or have bare 
spots upon the crowns of their 
heads ; and in Eastern countries 
men who wear the hair long 
retain it, and very often it does 
not lose its color. North American Indians wear the hair 
long, and baldness and heads of white hair are, as a rule, 
unknown among them. 

The author believes that baldness and gray hair are 
caused by frequent cutting, and wearing constantly hats 
or caps ; some attribute it to deep-thinking, but women 
who think, talk, and write a great deal are neither bald 




A hair and section of skin mag- 
nified ; A, a perspiratory tube with 
its gland ; B, a hair with a muscle 
and two oil glands ; C, cuticle ; D, 
the papillae ^ and E, the fat cells. 



3io 



OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



nor gray ; while men who do neither are both bald and 
gray. 

Wulferus gives an account, in the " Philosophical Collec- 
tion " of the opening of the grave of a woman at Norin- 
berg, who had been buried forty-three years. The body ap- 
peared to be in perfect preservation, and was covered with 
curly hair, and hair issued from the crevices of the coffin ; 
but when. the sexton attempted to handle the head, all 
crumbled in his hands, leaving only a handful of hair. The 
hair was strong, and was the only thing left of the body 
of the once active woman. 

We have authentic accounts of persons whose hair in a 




a b c 

Circulation of blood in the web of a frog's foot, highly magnified. A, an artery ; 
B, capillaries crowded with disks, owing to a rupture just above where the disks are 
jammed into an adjacent mesh ; C, a deeper vein ; the black spots are pigment or paint 
cells ; a microscope will display the above. 

few hours has turned white on account of great fear or 
horror. We read that King David's son, Absalom, had 
his hair cut once a year, and that it weighed thirty-one 
ounces. The hair is not only ornamental, but useful in the 
highest sense. It protects the head and brain from heat 
and cold, reduces the force of blows upon the head, is a 
conductor of electricity and magnetism to and from the 
brain, and acts as a regulator for the nervous system. 
When the head is bald, the scalp is shining and tight over 
that part of the head, and some, if not all, of the senses 



CARE OF THE TEETH. 311 

(seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and feeling) are more 
or less affected or impaired. 

The network of circulation in the scalp resembles that 
in the web of a frog's foot. When examined under a micro- 
scope, the red and white blood are seen to flow freely 
until the network becomes dry and the vessels partly 
closed ; when the circulation is impeded, putting a few drops 
of water or liquid upon it enlarges the vessels, and the cir- 
culation goes on. The scalp needs moisture and nourish- 
ment. See treatment of the hair. 



CARE OF THE TEETH. 

We do not know as there is anything about a person's 
appearance that will attract more notice and be more 
remarked upon than a handsome set of teeth ; nor is there 
anything so repulsive and objectionable to an observing 
person as to be confronted by a set of teeth which are in 
all stages of decomposition, — being black, yellow, and 
crowded, one upon another, in great irregularity. The 
owner of a set of fine teeth is to be congratulated ; they are 
really a pleasure to the beholder, a comfort to the owner, 
and indicate a sweet breath and good health from thorough 
mastication of food. 

Children should be taught to take care of the teeth the 
same as in cleanliness. When a child's second teeth are 
coming, the parents should see to it that they come in 
proper position, and if they are crowded and displaced it 
may be necessary to remove one of them. But this is the 
time of life when the position of the teeth should be 
decided. See that the tooth-brush is used several times 
daily, and especially before retiring ; do not use a brush 
with stiff bristles, nor brush too hard, as such action only 
causes the gums to recede from the teeth, and make the 
latter appear very long ; brush thoroughly all about the 



312 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

teeth, and remove the tartar from the inner side of the 
teeth where it is present. If the teeth become loose in 
the gums, use salt and water for a few days ; do not sub- 
ject them to extremes of heat and cold in the food or drink 
used. Tooth-powder can be made of orris root, prepared 
chalk, powdered charcoal, or gum myrrh, together or alone, 
or of many simple articles. 

HABIT. 

It has been said that " man is a creature of habit ; " that 
he is, in fact/' a bundle of habits," and these sayings are 
verily true. From early childhood to manhood he indulges 
those ideas, words, and actions which become a part of 
himself, and cling to him through life, even through the 
imbecility of old age. 

Habits are very easily formed, but in every instance are 
with difficulty corrected, and in some cases the result of 
such correction will be a temporary and perceptible effect 
upon the health. How difficult it is to break young per- 
sons of any habits, — of biting the nails, or late hours, or 
eating any food that hurts them, or any other habit into 
which they may have fallen. We have known men, and 
well-informed men, too, who were unable to resist this or 
that dish if placed before them, although they knew that the 
consequences would be suffei ing for hours. We have known 
persons to use strong tea or coffee, with no ill-effect, for 
forty years, while others can use neither of these drinks 
without injury. We have seen those who used a great 
deal of drink with their food, and those who used very 
little, and those who used water only as a drink, and all of 
them apparently equally healthy to old age. Again, we 
have seen people in good health who always kept late 
hours. It is wise to avoid all bad habits, although no rule 
will apply to all persons. 



MANIPULATION. 3 1 3 



MANIPULATION. 



This operation of manipulating or shampooing has gen- 
erally been understood as applicable to the heads of indi- 
viduals suffering from headache or some nervous affection, 
not only of the head, but of the whole body ; and manipu- 
lating or shampooing has afforded immediate relief, whether 
that nervousness resulted from over-exertion, want of rest, 
or excitement, and especially if the operator was strong, 
physically and mentally, having a great amount of vitality. 
This we cordially commend ; and further, we advise, in 
cases of sick persons and delicate children, that not only 
the head, but the whole body, should be manipulated by 
rubbing, grasping, and pressing the flesh between the 
fingers and thumb with a moderate pressure, as though to 
see how hard the muscle is, and thus go over the whole 
body ; the limbs may be grasped and pressed. 

If the hands are wet with warm wate'r, in which has been 
put a little alcohol or spirit, and half a teaspoonful of 
honey, the effect will be agreeable and strengthening, as 
the pores of the skin are active absorbents. By this oper- 
ation the muscles get a healthy tone, the blood is made to 
circulate more freely ; and the nerves, those minute and 
countless telegraph lines to the brain, are excited to healthy 
action, and the patient is greatly benefited. In proof of 
our assertion, we say, "Try it." 



314 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



PROUD FLESH 



Is a portion of flesh protruding from a cut or wound ; it 
makes its appearance after inflammation has passed into 
suppuration, and the flesh cut or separated by the wound 
did not heal by what is called the first intention or without 
suppuration, but begins to heal from the bottom slowly by 
granulation. Many cuts or slight wounds heal without 
suppuration and discharge, and in such cases no proud 
flesh appears. 

It is a spongy or fungus growth, and looks much like 
those excrescences on decaying trees, called toad stools. 
Usually they are red, sensitive, and bleed if irritated. In 
some instances they are bluish, or yellow-white. The 
tendency is to grow, fill the cavity, and prevent the wound 
from healing, even by granulation, and it absorbs the vital 
properties of the muscle, which should go to form a union 
or attachment between the sound parts. People ordi- 
narily say proud flesh has got into that wound and must 
be eaten out. Proud flesh is there always, — else there 
would be no union or healing. 

If poultices are applied to the wound or cut, the fluids 
are thereby drawn to that spot, and cause the fungus 
growth. It indicates an impure state of the system from 
alkali, acid, or bile, and requires laxatives to purify the 
blood, liver, and bowels, such as the following : — 

Flour of sulphur 4 ounces 8 tablespoonfuls 

Cream of tartar 2 " *..... 4 " 

Pulv. charcoal 1-2 " 2 teaspoonfuls 

Pulv. cayenne 1-8 " 1 " 

Pulv. saltpetre 1-8 " 1 " 

Mix, and put half of it into half a pint of molasses or 
syrup, and take a teaspoonful twice or three times a day, 
as required to produce three operations daily. To reduce 
or dry away the proud flesh, sprinkle on it blue-stone or 



THE ORIGIN OF MAN. 315 

burnt alum, and if neither of these are in the house, steep 
a teaspoonful of tea in a tablespoonful of boiling water 
twenty minutes, squeeze out the liquid, and apply several 
times. 

THE ORIGIN OF MAN. 

The mind of man in all nations has been for thousands 
of years exercised as to his creation or origin. When we 
examine the various theories contained in the creeds for- 
mulating the religious ideas of the inhabitants of the 
globe, we find a varied phraseology, embodying similar 
views of the creation of the world and origin of man. 
By universal consent, there was, there must have been, 
a great first cause, a designer and creator. Call it Jove, 
Jah, Jehovah, Fo, Allah, or any other name, they all indi- 
cate or point to a Deity. 

Many and varied have been the theories which have been 
discussed by some of the best minds of Europe and Amer- 
ica, during the present generation, all of which are an em- 
bodiment or partake largely of that allegorical account in 
Genesis : " That in the beginning God created the heavens 
and the earth," gives no intimation as to how long ago that 
beginning was. Darwin's theory has been much discussed, 
and is to a great extent embraced by the learned world, 
(with few exceptions), — that all animal creations have 
been evolved from minute monadics, developing and im- 
proving during the vast periods of time which have since 
elapsed. While we respect the opinions of others, we 
claim the right of entertaining and expressing our own, 
however much it may differ from others upon this subject. 

Our views are embodied in the following admissions, 
viz. : First, That all creations are but expressions of 
thought or will of the Deity. Second, That all earthly 
elements being in harmony, God willed that all tilings be 
created, and creation came forth. Third, Omnipotence 



3 16 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

only can call into being a midge, and the same power, 
with equal ease, called the larger animals and the varied 
races of men into existence. Fourth, It is generally con- 
ceded by all scientific thinkers, that the earth was for a 
long time unsuited for the vegetable kingdom, and accord- 
ing to the Mosaic account, but after vegetation was called 
into being, then the animal kingdom ; and when the earth 
was fitted for human habitation man was created. 

Minerals grow by electric, galvanic, and magnetic forces 
of nature. Vegetables grow and live upon the mineral 
kingdom and the electric forces, and move in accordance 
with the laws of vegetable life ; but man, who feeds upon 
the animal, vegetable, and mineral, is in and of himself a 
trinity, — mineral, vegetable, and animal. He lives, grows, 
and moves by the power of volition, or his own sovereign 
will. Man is said to have a dual nature, but has, in fact, a 
trinity, — the mineral, vegetable, and animal. In fact, he 
is a double trinity, having a body, soul, and spirit. 

We cannot accept Darwin's hypothesis, that because 
there are resemblances between man and the dog, the 
lion, the eagle, the cat, or the codfish, they may have all 
sprung from one paternity, or had a common origin. We 
could as readily accept the Pythagorean theory of the trans- 
migration of souls. In fact, they intermingle like light 
and shade, so that when separated, the one from the other, 
their individuality is with difficulty recognized. The evo- 
lution of the body implies a transmission of the instinct 
or intelligence, and from the monad, all along the chain 
of the animal creation, — the parrot, the dog, the horse, 
the elephant, the monkey, and chimpanzee, to man. As 
the body enlarges, and displays a higher organization, the 
intellect should increase and improve until the mite be- 
comes a man. We do not accept the theory 



NATURES UNALTERABLE TYPES. 317 



NATURE'S UNALTERABLE TYPES. 

After contemplating the subject of the creation of the 
world and the origin of man, the mind naturally turns 
towards surrounding objects, such as the varied races of 
men, animals, fowls, fishes, insects, trees, fruits, shrubs, 
flowers, grains, and grasses. During the countless ages 
of the past they have not changed their type, but are stere- 
otyped by the "fiat of Deity." Of the races of men, we 
find the civilized and barbarous, each with their peculiar 
pyhsiological construction and habits so clearly and dis- 
tinctly defined as to leave no doubt that the seal of their 
nationality and individuality was placed upon them at the 
moment of their primeval conception, by the great un- 
fathomable Creator, or first cause, as fully as that of sex in 
the whole family of the animal kingdom. Each link in 
the vast chain has held, so far as research, reason, and sci- 
ence can discover, the same type as when by Almighty 
power and infinite wisdom, by His creative will, said, " Let 
all things come forth," according to the law of design in 
the universe. 

We find the African in his physiological structure of 
bones, muscles, teeth, and hair the same as he was thousands 
of years ago ; their teeth are nearly all enamel, and almost 
imperishable; their hair, instead of being straight and 
round like the Anglo-Saxon's, is three-cornered and kinky ; 
their eyes always black. The same peculiarities of indi- 
viduality are visible in the Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and 
other nationalities. The Indian has dark hair and eyes, 
but in form and general make-up is closely allied to the 
white race ; they bear the same unalterable individuali- 
ties, and the same is true of all the families of animated 
nature ; those with hoofs, horns, claws, and beaks, and 
those destitute of them ; the multitudinous family of 



3 18 OUR HOME DOCTOR. 

feathered tribes, the aquatic monsters, and the lesser 
species, all the way down to the animalcule, are the same 
unchanged and uninterrupted " I am." 

All types of animal and vegetable creation have their 
times and seasons, and each continues to produce its kind, 
in type. The grains of wheat, which for four thousand 
years have lain wrapped in mummy bandages, or stuck 
as a symbol on the nose of some Egyptian hero, when 
placed in the earth, sprout, and send up stalks which in 
time bear the same kind and quality of grain as is now 
raised by the seeds which have been all the years travel- 
ling through that mysterious process of reproduction. 
And the toad, which has been during a period of unnum- 
bered thousands of years imprisoned in solid granite, when 
discharged from his dungeon, and let loose in air and sun- 
light, looks about with all the gravity of an elephant, and 
winks with undaunted familiarity at his brother toads, as 
though their forms and faces were in some of the yester- 
days, familiar in his recollection ; and he is in no way back- 
ward in joining in their hops when he recovers the use of 
his legs. He is the same in appearance and habits as the 
toads of the present generation. 



INDEX 



OUR HOME DOCTOR. 



Abortion 










65 


Abdominal Viscera 










20 


Abscess 










266 


After-birth . 










66 


After-pains . 










67 


Affections of Mercury . 










303 


Air, Exercise, and Light 










82 


Allopathy, Remarks upon 










39 


Anus, Fissure of . 










180 


Animal Food 










30 


Antidotes of Poisons 










277 


Alcohol .... 










213 


Apoplexy 










85 


Applying Child to Breast 










60 


Anatomy of Skeleton 










8 


Anatomy of Hip Joint . 










12 


Anatomy of Hand and Arm 










12 


Anatomy of Front Muscles 










13 


Anatomy of Back Muscles 










H 


Anatomy of Heart 










17 


Anatomy of Lungs 










19 



320 



INDEX. 



Anatomy of Brain . 
Anatomy of Stomach 
Anatomy of Eye . 
Anatomy of Hernia 
Asiatic Cholera 
Asthma 



B. 



Barber's Itch 

Barrenness . 

Bathing 

Beef Tea, to make 

Bee-Sting 

Bilious . 

Birth, Premature . 

Bloody Urine 

Botanical Medicines 

Boils . 

Bladder, Inflammation of 

Bowels, Inflammation of 

Bowel Complaint . 

Brain, Form of 

Brain Fever . 

Breach, or Rupture 

Broken Breast 

Bronchitis 

Bruises . 

Bunions 

Burns 

Bones, Formation of 

Bones of Skeleton 

Bones of Thigh 

Bones of Head 

Bones of Spine 



INDEX. 



321 



Bones of Chest 








16 


Bones of Hip Joint . . . . . . 12 


C. 


Cancer Scirrhus 252 


Canker ..... 








295 


Carbuncle .... 








267 


Care of Infant's Hair 








78 


Care of the Sick . 








296 


Care of the Teeth . 








3ii 


Catalepsy .... 








94 


Catarrh ..... 








125 


Cessation of Menses, turn of life 








242 


Chicken Pox .... 








220 


Chilblains .... 








283 


Childbirth, Labor . 








54 


Chloroform, Use of 








56 


Child, Treatment of 








62 


Chlorosis .... 








237 


Chapped Hands 








235 


Choking .... 








274 


Cholera, Asiatic 








161 


Cholera Infantum . 








78 


Cholera Morbus 








159 


Chronic Dysentery 








158 


Circulation in Scalp 








310 


Clothing of Children 








81 


Cold Feet, to prevent . 








292 


Cold Feet, to warm 








292 


Colic ..... 








166 


Common Sense Medicines 








35 


Conduct During Pregnancy . 








52 


Compressed Female Form 








251 


Constipation .... 








151 



322 



INDEX. 



Consumption 

Corns . 

Coughs . 

Cough, Whooping 

Cow-Pox — Vaccination 

Cramp . 

Croup . 



D. 

Deafness 

Delirium Tremens 

Diabetes 

Diarrhoea, Adults . 

Diarrhoea, Infants . 

Diet after Confinement 

Diet of young Children 

Diphtheria, Putrid Sore Throat 

Drink of Man 

Diagram of the Eye 

Digestion 

Digestion in Stomach 

Digestion, piece of Intestine magnified 

Digestion of Food, Dr. Beaumont 

Digestion not of the Stomach 

Digestion, time various kinds of food 

Dropsy ...... 

Dyspepsia ..... 

Dysentery ..... 

Dysentery, Chronic 



Earache, or Inflammation 
Epilepsy 



291 
95 



INDEX. 



323 



Erysipelas . . 








224 


Excessive Menstruation 








241 


Eye, Anatomy of . 








287 


Eye, External Appearance of 








287 


Eye, Structure of . 








290 


Eye, Objects on Retina 








291 


Eye, Inflammation of 








288 



Fainting 


. 










113 


Falling of the Womb 










245 


Felon, or Whitlow . 










272 


Female Form, Natural . 










249 


Female Form, Compressed 










251 


Fever and Ague 










195 


Fevers . 












191 


Fever, Brain . 


. 










89 


Fever, Scarlet 












198 


Fever, Spotted 












204 


Fever, Yellow 












201 


Fistula . 












177 


Fissure in Anus 












180 


Fits 


. 










73 


Fits, Worm . 


. 










73 


Fluor Albus . 


, 










243 


Fletcher Truss 












259 


Food, Animal 












30 


Food, time for Digestion 










146 


Food, Vegetable . 










3i 


Freezing, or Frostl 


rites . 










282 



Games and Plays 



83 



324 



INDEX. 



Gangrene 

Gastritis 

Gestation, time of 

Glands, Parotid 

Giddiness 

Gravel . 

Gout 



H. 

Hair, Treatment of 

Hair, Human 

Hair on body after death 

Hair Bulb, magnified 

Hair in Skin, magnified 

Hair in Scalp 

Habit . 

Headache 

Health . 

Heart, Muscles of 

Heartburn 

Heart, Valves of 

Heart, Ventricles and Auricles 

Hernia, or Rupture 

Hiccoughs 

Hives .... 

Home and Foreign Herbs 

House we live in . 

Human Form 

Hydrocele 

Hydrophobia 

Hypochondria 

Hysterics 

Hernia Truss, for single 

Hernia Truss, double . 



INDEX. 



325 



Hernia Truss applied 


. 




. 




261 


Hernia Truss, mechanism ..... 260 


I. 

Improper Food and Medicines .... 69 


Indigestion .... 








147 


Infanticide 










74 


Influenza 










126 


Inflammation of Bladder 










185 


Inflammation of Brain . 










89 


Inflammation of Bowels 










163 


Inflammation of Breast 










68 


Inflammation of Ear 










291 


Inflammation of Eyes . 










288 


Inflammation of Kidneys 










183 


Inflammation of Lungs 










136 


Inflammation of Peritoneum 










164 


Inflammation of Stomach 










150 


Inflammation of Womb 










246 


Inflammation of Bronchial Tubes 








140 


Intestine, piece of magnified 








146 


Ingrowing Toenail 








271 


Itch 








231 


Itch, Barber's 








232 


Insanity .... 








86 


Ivy Poisoning .... 








274 


J. 
Jaundice, Bilious ....... 143 


Jaw Locked .... 










no 



K. 



Kidney, Inflammation of 



183 



26 



INDEX. 



L. 



Labor . 
Laryngitis 
Laws of Nature 
Lacing, Tight 
Leprosy 
Leucorrhcea . 
Liver Complaint . 
Lockjaw 

Lime-water, to make 
Lymphatics . 
Lungs, Form of 



M. 



Marasmus 

Manipulation 

Measles 

Male and Female Statistics 

Medicines, Botanical 

Mechanism of Truss 

Medical Practice . 

Medical Properties 

Menstruation 

Menstruation, excessive 

Menstruation, painful 

Menstruation, retarded . 

Menstruation, suppressed 

Mercury 

Mercurial Affections 

Muscles of Front Form 

Muscles of Back Form . 

Muscles of Arm and Hand 

Muscles of the Heart 



INDEX. 



327 



Muscles of the Eye 










287 


Muscles of the Stomach 










145 


Muscles of the Intestines 










145 


Midwifery 










49 


Milk Sickness 










162 


Miscarriage . 










65 


Morning Sickness . 










53 


Mortification 










256 


Mother's Mark 










68 


Mothers unable to Nurse 










7$ 


Mumps . 










122 


Mustard Plaster . 










300 



N. 



Nearsightedness . 


. 








293 


Nettle Rash . 


. 








233 


Nerves of Brain 










21 


Neuralgia 










103 


Nerves of the Human 


Form 








22 


Nightmare 


. 








in 


Nosebleed 


. 








285 


Nurse, Suitable 










76 


Nursing Infants 










75 


Nursery Medicines 


. 








73 


Natural Female Form 










249 


Nutriment in Food 










32 


Nature's Unalterable ' 


Types . 








317 




0. 


Oatmeal 


299 


Obesity 


212 


Opinions of Prominent Doctors .... 40 


Origin of Man 










315 



328 
Over-Nursing 



INDEX. 



75 



Palpitation of the Heart 










141 


Paralysis 










100 


Painful Menstruation 










239 


Peritoneum, Inflammation of 










164 


Piles .... 










176 


Plague, or Black Vomit 










165 


Plaster, Mustard . 










300 


Pleurisy 










137 


Pox, Chicken 










220 


Pneumonia 










136 


Poisons and Antidotes . 










277 


Poisoning, Ivy 










274 


Poisoning 










275 


Poison by Laudanum 










276 


Polypus . 










255 


Pregnancy, Signs of 










50 


Pregnancy while Nursing 










6 7 


Premature Birth . 










64 


Prolapsus Ani. 










178 


Protracted Labor . 










69 


Proud Flesh . 










3H 


Puberty 










45 


Putrid Sore Throat 










117 


Peristaltic Motion . 










145 



Quicksilver, or Mercury 
Quinsy . 
Quickening . 
Quicksilver, Effects of . 



300 
119 

5i 
302 



INDEX, 



329 



R. 



Results of Quicksilver . 
Retarded Menses . 
Rectum, Stricture of 
Retention of Urine 
Rheumatism . 
Rheumatism, Inflammatory 
Rheumatism, Mercurial. 
Rickets .... 
Ringworm 
Rose Rash . 
Rupture 



Skeleton of Human Form 

Salt 

Salt Rheum . 

Scalds and Burns 

Scald Head . 

Scalding Urine 

Scirrhus or Cancer 

Scrofula 

Scurvy . 

Scarlet Fever 

Sea-sickness . 

Secret Bad Habits 

Self-Knowledge 

Sick, Care of . 

Shingles 

Skin 

Sleep for Children 

Sleeplesness . 

Small-Pox 



330 



INDEX. 



Snake Bites . 

Sore Nipples . 

Sore Throat . 

Spasms . 

Spotted Fever 

Sprains . 

Statistics, Males and Females 

Stillborn 

Sting of Wasp, Bite of Spider 

Structure of the Eye 

Stricture of Rectum 

Strychnine and Antidote 

Saint Vitus' Dance 

Sunstroke 

Swooning 



Tapeworm 

Teething 

Tetter . 

Teeth, Care of 

Thrush . 

Tight Lacing 

Time to gather Herbs, Roots 

Tobacco, Discovery and Use 

Tobacco Poisoning 

Toothache 

Treatment of Infants 

Treatment of the Hair 

Tumors 

Turn of Life . 

Tongue, Nerves, and Use of 

Testimonials, Fletcher Truss 



etc 



INDEX. 



331 



U. 



Ulcers .... 












264 


Urine, Suppression of . 


. 






185 


Urine, Bloody 


. 




. 


189 


Urine, Scalding 


. 




. 


189 


Unruly Membe~ 








130 




V. 


Vaccination . 


218 


Viscera of Thorax . 


, 








20 


Ventilation . 


. 








25 


Viscera of Abdomen 


. 








20 


Various Kind of Food, Digestion 








32 


Varicose Veins 










262 


Vegetable Food 










3i 


Vegetable Food, Nutriment in 








32 


Vertigo . 










9i 


Vomiting 


, 








168 


Vomiting Blood 










169 




w. 


Warts . 


236 


Watchers 










298 


Weaning 










7 6 


Web of Frog's Foot 












310 


Wens 












271 


Wetting the Bed . 












186 


Whites . 












243 


Whitlow- 












272 


White Swelling 












263 


Whooping Cough . 












123 


Womb, Falling of . 












245 



332 



INDEX. 



Womb, The 


49 


Womb, Inflammation of 


246 


Worms ....... 


171 


Worms, Tape 


174 


Water of Lime ..... 


173 



Yellow Fever 



201 



ONE THOUSAND 

PERSONS 

Buried Alive 



BY 



THEIR BEST FRIENDS. 



A TREATISE 



Suspended Animation 



Directions for Restoration 



BY 

MOORE RUSSELL FLETCHER, M.D 

FORTY-SIX YEARS FELLOW MASS. MED. SOC, 
BOSTON. 



FOUND DEAD. 



Persons are often found in their beds, in the field, or 
elsewhere in a comatose or inanimate condition ; they are 
examined for breathing and pulsation, and finding neither, 
the family physician is called. He makes an examination 
for pulse or evidence of feeble action of the heart, and 
quietly remarks to the friends, " died, probably of disease 
of the heart, apoplexy, or paralysis," according to the age, 
habits, and manner of living of the person whose body 
lies before him, and leaves for the family to arrange for 
the burial the next day, or the second day after. Fre- 
quently the doctor and friends remark in wonder the 
next day, " How warm and life-like the body is, how flex- 
ible the arms are, and how fresh and florid the face is." 

We trust we have shown in the following treatise that 
life may be dormant or latent for a time, and not be 
extinct ; that persons may be dormant from drowning, 
hanging, choking, suffocation, sunstroke, hysteria, bolt of 
lightning, still-born infants, or any other cause. We shall 
show that persons have laid ten, fifteen, or more days in a 
cataleptic or dormant state, and revived, and that persons 
drowned may be resuscitated by continued efforts. 



PREFACE TO SUSPENDED ANIMATION. 



This subject, so far as we are aware, has, neither in 
Europe nor in America, been clearly and fully brought in 
concise form to the notice of the profession, or the general 
reading public. As a consequence many thousands, while 
in a state of catalepsy, trance, or somnambulism, have 
been buried alive by their best friends, which fact we will 
endeavor to show. 

Although, one hundred years ago, societies were formed 
in the principal cities in Europe, for the restoration to life 
of drowned or suffocated persons (which has been accom- 
plished in many cases), yet in America this subject, not 
having been agitated, has been wholly neglected, and phy- 
sicians, as well as the people, have an idea that life be- 
comes extinct when struggling ceases. We have had this 
subject under consideration for many years, and have 
sought information from the best men, in and out of the 
profession, but have found a wide difference in the views 
entertained. Strict inquiry develops the fact that among 
them there are none who have positive knowledge on the 
question. One thought that life would be extinct after 
five minutes' submersion ; another, ten minutes ; another, 
fifteen minutes ; another, twenty minutes ; but a large 
number have no definite idea as to the time required to 
cause death, nor of the length of time that must be spent 
in efforts over a body to restore it to life. 

Physicians have read reports of experiments with cats, 
dogs, and rabbits, where the spasms ceased in seven or ten 



4 PREFACE TO SUSPENDED ANIMATION. 

minutes, and upon the results of such experiments their 
views respecting human life are based ; but this is incor- 
rect. 

A man will not die in so short a time as a rabbit or a 
dog ; neither is life extinct when struggling ceases. We 
hope we have shown that by judicious and presevering 
efforts, resuscitation has been accomplished in cases where 
the subject had been under water for a longer time than 
thirty minutes ; and we make a large allowance for state- 
ments as to time in such moments of excitement. 

When persons without pulse or breathing are found~in 
bed, in the field, or elsewhere, treat them in such manner 
as will restore from stroke of lightning, paralysis, or sus- 
pended animation from catalepsy, trance, or somnambulism, 
and continue the treatment until resuscitation rewards the 
exertions, or decomposition is evident. 



SUSPENDED ANIMATION, 



THE LOWER ORDER OF ANIMALS. 

We call attention to them, although not in strict ac- 
cordance with the text of the book, to show that life with 
this order may be suspended or dormant for days, weeks, 
months, and in some cases, even years. Authentic infor- 
mation is not wanting to establish the fact, that insects 
and animals, from those of very small size to those of 
larger dimensions, including alligators and bears, remain 
dormant during the cold months. Is it unreasonable to 
infer that under certain conditions the human race may 
assume a state of trance, or catalepsy, and remain thus for 
an indefinite time, giving no indication of life, and being 
aroused to such only by the active and well-directed exer- 
tions of friends ? 

Farmers, and persons in the rural districts, have often 
noticed that snakes and toads go into the ground but a 
few inches for their winter quarters* ; but it is well known 
that frost extends down for two or three feet, consequently 
they must freeze, and remain so for the winter months ; it 
has also often been noticed that worms in partially de- 
cayed wood when split for use are exposed, and seem to 
be perfectly frozen ; but when left for a short time in a 
warm room they revive, and start out as though spring 
had jumped in between February and March, and disturbed 
their winter slumber. 



6 SUSPENDED ANIMATION. 

An instance of dormant life is seen when a toad is found 
imbedded in solid rock. The author has talked with three 
reliable men, who state that upon opening a rock they 
found a living toad within, contained in a chamber just 
large enough to hold him, without allowing any room in 
which to turn ; the inmate was pale and emaciated, and 
had just life enough apparently to crawl away when liber- 
ated from what had been his prison for ages. One man 
stated that in sinking a well he came upon a rock about 
thirty feet below the surface, and after blasting, discovered 
among the fragments the upper and lower portions of the 
temple of a subterranean little prisoner. Both pieces of 
the rock were preserved, but the toad escaped. The 
question naturally arises how long since the rocks were in 
such a plastic state that a toad could conceal itself in 
them ? The toad must have been made before the rocks. 
Another instance of dormant life, similar to that of reptiles 
known as amphibious, is that of the swallows. Where do 
the barn-swallows, bank-swallows, and chimney-swallows 
go when their summer campaign is ended ? It is claimed 
by most persons that they go South, because certain of the 
feathered tribes are known to fly southward ; the geese, 
ducks, and pigeons, which are seen to start, are also seen 
in great numbers in the South during the winter, and 
seen to leave there in the spring ; but the swallows are 
not seen migrating to or emigrating from the South, nor 
there in increased numbers in the winter. 

The writer was informed by Stuart Seelye, of Saint 
George, New Brunswick, that when lumbering in the for- 
est, thirty miles from any settlement, the cook for his gang 
began digging a shallow well near a brook, so that water 
could strain through the ground and be clear in the well 
when the spring freshet made the stream muddy. 

In throwing out the mud, leaves, etc., while digging, 
they saw what they supposed were frogs, but which upon 



THE LOWER ORDER OF ANIMALS. 7 

washing were found to be swallows. A number were 
placed in the warm camp, where they soon revived and 
flew off into the woods. 

Several years afterwards the subject was under discus- 
sion in Rumney, N. H., when the Rev. Mr. Glines con- 
firmed this theory regarding swallows in winter, by relat- 
ing the following : " Some years ago, my father, who was 
a millwright, was in a village where a freshet had carried 
away part of a dam : the stream in its rapid course had 
carried vast quantites of sand and mud out over a level 
spot of land, the surface of which was covered with snow 
and ice. After the water had subsided, there were found 
on this spot great numbers of swallows, covered with mud 
and frozen." 

This same theory of the wintering of swallows has 
several times been upheld (by persons who had seen the 
birds unearthed in a frozen condition) since talking with 
Mr. Glines. We have seen swallows dive into ponds and 
disappear. 

Snakes, like toads, live for a long time without air or 
food. The following experiment was made by a Mr. Tower, 
of Gardiner, Maine. An adder, upwards of two feet. in 
length, was got into a glass jar, which was tightly sealed. 
He was kept there for sixteen months without any appar- 
ent change, and when let out, looked as well as when put 
in, and crawled away. 

The common pond trout, when thrown into snow, will 
soon freeze, remain so for days, and when put into cold 
water to remove the frost become lively as ever. 

When residing in New Brunswick, in 1842, we went to a 
lake to secure some trout, which were frozen on the snow 
and kept for use. While there we saw men with long 
wooden tongs catching frost fish from the salt-water at 
the entrance of a brook. The fish were thrown upon the 
ice in great quantities. We had a barrel of them put up 



5 SUSPENDED ANIMATION. 

with snow and kept frozen, and in a cool place. For six or 
seven weeks they were taken out and used as wanted, and 
might be kept frozen for an indefinite time, and be alive 
when thawed in cold water. The two pieces of a fish, cut in 
two when frozen, would move and try to swim when thawed 
in cold water. 

When any warm-blooded animal is immersed in or sur- 
rounded by fluid, smoke, or gas, so that the lungs cannot 
obtain the supply of oxygen that is demanded to render 
the blood fit for the purposes of life, the result must be a 
cessation or suspension of the vital functions. 

This state is called asphyxia, signifying apparent death 
from suffocation, from whatever cause that may arise ; 
more recently it has been held to mean suspended anima- 
tion from drowning, hanging, choking, or inhaling gas ; or 
any other cause in which death begins at the lungs and 
heart ; and death from asphyxia is that condition of the 
system in which the dark or venous blood is interrupted in 
its course towards the lungs, where it would receive the 
requisite supply of oxygen. The stoppage of this vital 
process soon causes a suspension of all the vital functions. 

Animals of the lower order may, and do, lie dormant for 
months, in cold seasons especially ; and human beings may, 
and do while in a state of catalepsy or traiice, remain quite 
motionless and without pulse or breathing for an indefinite 
time, life being dormant, but present, and 7iot extinct. This 
fact we will hereafter show clearly by citing numerous 
cases of resuscitation to full health from supposed death. 

Among physicians there have been and will be some 
who will examine into the theory and methods of restora- 
tion. Great difference of opinion existed among the 
fathers of medicine in the time of Hunter, Cullen, DeHaen, 
and Goodwyn, who wrote treatises upon this subject more 
than one hundred years ago, and the reason of such varied 
opinions was that physicians formed hasty conclusions 



THE LOWER ORDER OF ANIMALS. 9 

from a few experiments; and the author has found, by ob- 
servation and inquiry, that the same remarks apply to 
physicians of the present day. He has had the opinions 
of professors in medical universities, and men of extensive 
practice and reading, and the extent of their information 
is that they have read in journals of experiments made 
with cats, dogs, rabbits, etc., and that they, being examined 
under a glass globe, were found to cease violent struggles 
in from seven to ten minutes, according to their individual 
tenacity of life ; and their views are formed upon the false 
theory that dormancy is death. 

The first society formed for recovering persons drowned 
was in Holland, and in a few years one hundred and fifty 
persons were restored. Another society was formed in 
Amsterdam in 1767 ; another in Milan and Venice in 1768 ; 
afterwards in Hamburg in 1 77 1 ; in Paris in 1772; in 
London in 1774. Societies were also formed at Leith, 
Glasgow, Aberdeen, and other places. In many cases the 
exertions were continued for four, six, or eight hours before 
resulting in restoration. 

The first effort of a drowning person is to breathe, and 
in making this effort there takes place a forcible expulsion 
of air which contracts the lungs, and the attempt at res- 
piration, which immediately follows, is rendered impossible 
by the water ; again the effort is repeated, and a few bub- 
bles of the air thrown out rise to the surface, but none 
returns to take its place ; the blood is passed back to the 
heart, dark colored and loaded with carbon ; sensibility and 
the power of voluntary motion begin to diminish and cease 
as soon as the arterial blood has lost its bright red color 
and become wholly venous. 

It is calculated that ten or fifteen minutes under water 
is sufficient length of time to effect this change and to as- 
phyxiate or suspend animation; experiments with cats and 
dogs show it to be eight, ten, or twelve minutes. But by 



10 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

prompt and vigorous measures it is possible to restore per- 
sons from a condition of suspended animation after a 
greater length of time (as herein shown), because the or- 
ganic functions go on for a considerable time after apparent 
death, and which death is not real tintil those functions have 
wholly ceased ; and thus it often is with persons in a trance, 
or state of coma, who for a time show not the slightest sign 
of life, or of animation, yet eventually recover the entire use 
of their limbs and faculties. 

The struggles of a drowning person, although neces- 
sarily violent, can be but of short duration ; if he is unable 
to swim, and the fall into the water is from any height, 
unless it is very deep water, he goes at once to the bottom ; 
but going down with inflated lungs, and a considerable 
quantity of air in his clothing, he soon rises, although it 
may be he has not sufficient presence of mind to inhale 
much air in the short gasp he is permitted to take before 
sinking again ; he will probably come to the surface, or 
near it a second, and a third time, but after this he will 
sink to rise no more, unless by friendly aid, until the body 
on account of the gases generated in it by decomposition, 
is rendered lighter than the water, when it ascends to the 
surface and floats, a swollen and bloated corpse. In warm 
weather this usually occurs on the eighth or ninth day. 

In the violent efforts which are naturally made to draw 
breath, some water must be swallowed, but this quantity is 
not nearly so large as is generally supposed, while little or 
none of it gets into the lungs. There is always some of it 
mixed with frothy mucus, and sometimes with blood, in the 
windpipe and bronchial passages, and this fact gives rise 
to the popular supposition that the body is full af water ; to 
get rid of this water it was once the ignorant and barbarous 
custom to suspend drowned persons by the feet, a sure 
method of finishing that which asphyxia had begun. 

The reason why no water, or very little, can get into the 



AND RESTORATION. II 

lungs is, because the irritation of the glottis (excited by 
the unsuccessful efforts to breathe, and the rush of water 
instantly when the mouth is opened) is so great, as to cause 
a strong cough, which expels the fluid ; and when anima- 
tion is altogether suspended the passage is closed. 

It is generally agreed by the best authorities that, after 
a person has been under water for fifteen minutes, there is 
little hope of restoring to life, however quick and judicious 
methods may be employed for that purpose. 

There are, however, on record, well-authenticated cases 
of recovery after thirty, forty, and even fifty minutes sub- 
mersion, but these are cases of continued exertions. Still 
it is but right and proper to give the person the benefit of 
any doubt, and make prompt and persevering efforts to 
restore him to life, although he may have been in the 
water much longer than the longest of the above named 
periods, because it is possible that he may have been able, 
by swimming, or taking hold of some floating object, to 
keep his head above water for a time. External zvarnitk, 
artificial respiration, friction, and electricity are the four 
great agents to be employed in the recovery of drowned 
persons, and the manner of proceeding we will now pre- 
scribe : — 

First, as everthing depends upon energy and promptness, 
let the body be removed as soon as possible to some con- 
venient place, the warmer the better, taken out of the wet 
clothing, wrapped in blankets and laid upon a mattress on 
the floor, or placed on a bed, which being higher, will give 
better chance for working ; if necessary to remove the 
body to any distance, care should be taken to keep the 
head and shoulders raised, and neither allowing the head 
to fall forward on the chest, nor backward from the posi- 
tion it would be in were the person standing. The body 
being placed on its back upon the bed, let two strong, 
healthy men strip off their clothing, except their shirts, and 



12 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

lay, one each side of the unconscious person, and with 
their arms around him, press the ribs against the lungs ; 
then relax their hold for a few seconds, then repeat it and 
continue to do so. This presses the lungs, and then re- 
leases them, and thus imitates their motion in breathing ; 
but what is of more importance than the pressing or 
squeezing, is the animal warmth and vitality of the strong 
bodies ; while this is being done other attendants should 
rub vigorously the head, and neck, hands, arms, legs, and 
feet, always rubbing towards the body, as it is the return- 
ing venous blood wliicJi goes to the heart and lungs to be 
purified. 

If the parties lying beside the patient get fatigued let 
two others take their places, and so change ; if there are 
no men present who can lie by the side of the drowned 
person, then let the body be wrapped in a blanket, with 
the upper part and head raised by means of pillows or bol- 
sters. The first care should be to free the mouth and 
nostrils of all obstructions with a sponge or other suitable 
appliances, and the next to apply warmth to every avail- 
able part of the body by means of hot sand, salt, or bricks 
to the extremities ; hot flannel to the chest, abdomen, and 
sides, with stimulating liniment and plenty of friction. 
Camphor and brandy make the best liniments, and they 
should be briskly rubbed in with flannel. While doing 
this efforts should be made to restore the respiration 
or breathing by raising the arms up towards the sides 
of the head, and then lowering them, doing thus repeat- 
edly, and by alternate pressure and relaxation of the ribs 
try to imitate their motion caused by breathing. Electric 
shocks, slight at first, but gradually increasing in intensity, 
should be passed through the upper part of the spine and 
chest, if the means of giving them are at hand or can be 
speedily procured. These are, however, but auxiliary 
means, as external warmth and friction are mainly to be 



AND RESTORATION. I 3 

relied on, and these should be perseveringly applied for 
six, eight, ten, or twelve hours, or as long as the body is 
warm and no sign of decomposition. Camphor or weak 
hartshorn should from time to time be applied to the nos- 
trils after returning life is visible, and a stimulant injec- 
tion be given consisting of a pint of water gruel, with two 
tablespoonfuls of rum, whiskey, or brandy. 

So long as the patient is unconscious nothing can be 
given him to drink, but as soon as there is a natural action 
of the lungs and heart, a perceptible pulse, and other 
symptoms of returning sensibility, a tablespoonful of 
brandy in an equal amount of hot water should be admin- 
istered, and this dose repeated every half-hour or so until 
he is sufficiently recovered. He may then be placed in a 
warm bed, well wrapped in blankets, with hot applications 
to the feet (if they still remain cold), and kept quiet for a 
time, when he will doubtless sleep. Drowned, or supposed 
drowned persons, have recovered after being worked over 
for four, six, or eight hours : after recovery there may be 
considerable congested blood about the brain ; this must 
be removed by proper means, such as warm applications to 
the extremities. Stimulants must be given with great 
caution and in small quantities. 

It sometimes happen that non-professional persons are 
called upon to work for the recovery of some one who has 
perhaps attempted self-destruction by hanging, and it is 
therefore necessary to give some directions as to how they 
should proceed. The body being taken down, and the 
cord removed from around the neck, an effort should be 
made to start the circulation by rubbing the head, neck, 
hands, and feet, and by applications of hot bricks, bags of 
hot sand or salt to the feet and sides ; if a physician is 
present he will likely open a vein in the arm or temple, 
and if the blood flows freely there is a good chance of re- 
covery ; if no physician is present use the same means as 



14 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

in cases of drowning ; inflating the lungs by raising the 
arms to the head and then bringing them down to the 
sides, and pressing the lungs. 

Death by lightning is met with a great deal oftener than 
suspended animation from the same cause, but sometimes 
instead of being killed the person struck is merely asphyx- 
iated, and will remain in a state of insensibility for a long 
or short time, according to circumstances, unless revived 
by the exertions of friends. The treatment should be 
directed to exciting respiration and circulation by pressure 
of the ribs against the lungs, and then relaxing it, raising 
the arms to the head, then bringing them down, rubbing 
the head, neck, chest, and extremities with cloths wet in cold 
water ; rubbing the back and spine with spirit and mustard 
or cayenne pepper. As soon as the patient shows signs 
of returning life, give a tablespoonful of some kind of spirit 
in two spoonfuls of hot water and sugar. 

In certain cases of catalepsy on record respiration, pul- 
sation, and motion ceased for days and weeks ; conscious- 
ness and hearing alone remained active. Hence we can 
believe that vitality may under certain conditions remain 
quiet or inactive for hours or days, and life not be extinct. 

The unborn infant lives suspended for months without 
air or any action of its lungs, and the new-born child, hav- 
ing never received air into its lungs, may be submerged in 
water of the temperature of the human body for an in- 
definite length of time without injury. Let us here give 
the case of a playmate of ours in youth, who after a severe 
sickness gradually failed until he expired, leaving no evi- 
dence of life ; he was washed, laid out, and the friends in a 
distant State sent for. Days passed and the friends did 
not arrive ; on the tenth or eleventh day the boy fright- 
ened the family by coming to life again. After recovery 
his health was good, but his speech and intellect were de- 
fective. During the suspension of vital action he heard 



AND RESTORATION. I 5 

all conversation as plainly as though in his normal or 
natural condition. The scene of this incident was Ply- 
mouth, New Hampshire. Many such cases might be col- 
lected and recited, as well as those of drowning, but it is 
necessary for the purpose of impressing this fact upon the 
mind of all who may have occasion to attempt the restora- 
tion of drowned or suffocated persons that they must not 
weary until there is unmistakable evidence (by the failure 
to draw blood after opening a vein as directed, or the 
absence of a blister upon applying fire to the skin) that life 
is totally extinct, which is positive only when decomposi- 
tion begins. When the blood begins to flow from an open 
vein it should at once be stopped, and the efforts to revive 
continued until animation is set up, although many hours 
or days are spent in the exertions. 

Suspended animation by freezing is not uncommon in 
this country, and the proper treatment is not generally 
known. This is to keep him in a cool room, and rub him 
him with snow or sponge with cold water until the parts 
become warm by the friction, when the frozen extremities 
should be treated as in other cases of suspended anima- 
tion. 

A case is related by Dr. Beach of a person who was sup- 
posed to be frozen to death, in which the treatment was as 
follows : A barrel or cask of cold water was provided, and 
the patient placed naked in it up to his neck, and there 
allowed to remain for ten minutes ; when the body was 
removed ice was found formed upon it in scales, being 
drawn from the surface by the cold water, the temperature 
of which was (although cold as usually required for drink- 
ing purposes) much warmer than the external parts of 
the body. The patient was dried well, briskly rubbed 
with flannels, and thus gradually warmed to life. When 
consciousness returned brandy and cayenne pepper were 
given in large quantities. When reaction took place, and 



1 6 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

the blood began to circulate freely, there was great sore- 
ness of flesh, excessive pain, fever, etc. It was nearly two 
hours before the patient recovered consciousness, and a 
week elapsed before he was restored to health. 

In this connection it is proper to mention that what is 
called frost-bites, where feet, hands, or other exposed parts 
of the body may be badly frozen, should never be brought 
near the fire or into a room above the ordinary tempera- 
ture : instead of so doing have the parts thoroughly rubbed 
with snow if it can be had, but if not rub the parts with 
cold water, the colder and nearer the freezing point the 
better. This should be continued until the affected parts 
begin to feel warm and change color, when they should be 
treated by rubbing with liniments or spirit, and the patient 
thoroughly heated by drinks of brandy, whiskey, or like 
draughts, with powders to produce perspiration until he is 
in a sweat and the circulation well established. Then the 
patient should be thoroughly dried, put to bed, and encour- 
aged to sleep. 

To show the great danger there is of burying persons in 
a state of trance or before actual death has occurred, we 
will here give a number of well-authenticated instances, 
in some of which persons were from accidental causes 
enabled to avert this danger to their friends, while in 
others they did not do so, and afterwards never ceased to 
regret their neglect and great error. 

These incidents have been arranged only in a general 
way, and the number, which might be indefinitely increased, 
may be said to embrace three varieties of cases. First, 
those in which resuscitation has followed as the result of 
exertions or efforts made over the body. Second, those 
in which it has happened simply as the result of accident. 
Third, those in which the positions of bodies, taken up or 
removed from the tomb soon after burial, gave certain 
evidence that a return to life had occurred. 



AND RESTORATION. 1 7 

These accounts we have been collecting carefully for the 
past twenty-five years. Some we know to be true ; some 
are given by truthful persons, while still others are from 
good authority. Believing them to be reliable we con- 
scientiously present them to our readers. In many of the 
accounts the names are not given, the reasons for which 
fact will be easily understood. 

A sketch of Greek and Roman history on the subject 
will not be out of place here, as it is from those races that 
our customs have descended ; and very early in the history 
of the Greek it was discovered that a person might present 
all the appearances of death and yet be alive. 

The first recorded instance of the recovery to life of a 
person about to be buried was that of a woman of Agri- 
gentum in ancient Greece, and whose funeral cortege was 
arrested by Empedocles, a man of great medical skill, and 
by whom the inmate of the coffin was awakened to life. 
This gave authority for greater caution in regard to burials 
than had previously been used, and a law was passed for- 
bidding the interment of any individual before the third 
day. Subsequently this time was extended by custom to 
the sixth or seventh day, in some cases during which time 
measures were taken to restore consciousness (if there 
was any doubt of death), and in many cases with happy 
results. 

Taking their customs from the Greeks, the Romans, like 
them, paid but little attention to funeral rites in the earlier 
years of their history, until by similar lessons they were 
taught the great need of observing the utmost precaution. 
Alcepiades, a physician who is recorded as living in the 
time of Pompey, or about one hundred and twenty years 
before the Christian era, on one occasion returning from 
his country seat saw near the walls of Rome a crowd of 
people attending a funeral. The funeral pyre was already 
lighted when he approached. (It was at that time the 



I 8 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

custom in Rome to take the bodies of the dead outside the 
walls of the city, and to build there a funeral pile or pyre, 
so called, of wood or combustible materials, upon which 
the body was placed, and the pile being kindled soon re- 
duced the remains to ashes. In a word, the bodies of the 
dead were then cremated.) As the physician looked at 
the dead he thought he saw signs of life, and he ordered 
the fire to be extinguished. The discontent of the by- 
standers was changed to words of wonder and praise when 
the dead was restored to life by him and his attendants, 
and returned with his friends to the city. 

Acilius Aviola was not so fortunate. Having fallen in 
a lethargy or fit of catalepsy, he was taken up for dead, his 
funeral pile was erected, and he being placed thereon, it 
was lighted. At this point animation, which had been only' 
suspended, was revived by the heat of the flames, and he 
made an attempt to rise. The spectators, at first surprised 
at what they took to be an apparition, attempted to rescue 
him, but were too late. The Praetor Laemio had a similar 
fate ; and the life of Tubero, who had been praetor, was 
saved by the fortunate discovery of signs of life just as he 
was about to be laid on the funeral pile. 

These events taught the Romans, as similar ones did the 
Greeks, to increase the length of time between death and 
the burning of the remains, and to exercise more caution 
in distinguishing apparent from real death. Law and 
custom required that the nearest relative should close the 
eyes of the deceased as he lay prepared for funeral rites. 
After the events related, and others of the same character, 
considerable delay was enjoined, during which the body 
was submitted to the warm bath : this was for the double 
purpose of getting the body in condition for anointing 
and of ascertaining whether any indications of life re- 
mained. Tests were from time to time applied to see if 
death had taken place, and after many ceremonies, lasting 



AND RESTORATION. 1 9 

for seven or eight days, hope was abandoned. During 
that time the body was anointed with oil, gums of cedar, 
and myrrh, with bitumen and other inflammable sub- 
stances : then, surrounded with lighted tapers and burning 
perfumes, it was finally carried to the funeral pile and 
burned in the midst of a concourse of relatives and friends, 
who marched three times around the body, and at different 
points offered libations to the gods, asking their aid in 
destroying the body quickly. 

The practice of burning, however, gradually gave way to 
the custom of burying in the earth, which has since prevailed. 
This is supposed to have been copied by the Romans from 
the Jews, who had always entombed or buried their dead. 

It is doubtful whether modern civilization has much 
advanced the rites of burial, or the means of preventing 
interment before positive death. The practice now is, as 
soon as apparent death takes place, to begin at once pre- 
paring the body for burial ; the relatives and phvsician 
desert the room, and give the body into the charge of those 
whose business it is to prepare the same for interment. 
One of their first acts is to place the body in a cold room, 
pack it in ice, or open the windows, thus banishing any 
possible chance of reviving or resuscitating any spark of 
vitality which may exist. No examination is ever made by 
the physician or the friends to see if there are even the 
faintest signs of life present. Under such circumstances, 
and with no attempts made at discovering whether any signs 
of life were still present (but a hasty burial instead), it is 
not strange that cases of premature interment frequently 
occur. " Numerous instances," remarks Prof. Beatty of 
the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, "are recorded 
of persons buried prematurely, or actually at the verge of 
the grave before it was discovered that life still remained ; 
while numerous cases have also come to light under the 
knife of the post-mortem examiner or anatomist." 



20 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

A French physician, who wrote in 1742, relates the case 
of a young woman thus revived by the first incision of the 
knife. Peu gives a similar case in which he was about to 
perform the operation known as the Cesarean, when the 
first touch of the knife disclosed to him his awful mistake. 

There was a case of drowning in the harbor of Saint 
Andrews, New Brunswick, in which a sailor attempted to 
go from his ship to the shore. The time of year was 
December or January. When in eight or ten feet of water 
the boat was by wind and waves upset. Two of his ship- 
mates at once got out another boat and went to his assist- 
ance, reaching the scene of the accident in fifteen or 
twenty minutes ; but when near the spot their boat was cap- 
sized and they thrown into the tide. The people on shore 
who saw the accident went in larger boats to their relief, 
with poles, ropes, and rakes ; and after thirty or forty min- 
utes all three of the bodies were recovered at nearly the 
same time. Upon getting them to the shore three physi- 
cians took each a man, the youngest of the doctors claiming 
the " deadest man" or the one who had been longest under 
water. His treatment was such as described heretofore, 
being vigorous friction, hot applications, and compressing 
and relaxing the lungs with two assistants, and he had the 
great satisfaction of seeing his man recover. Neither of 
the other men gave the first indication of life. Doctor 
Dorsey, a Scotchman, was the physician who restored the 
sailor to consciousness. 

The next case is also one of drowning. In consequence 
of a collision between the Boston and St. John (N.B.) 
steamboat and a schooner, the latter went down almost 
immmediately, the crew with her. The steamer put about, 
sent out the boats, and rescued a girl, who after a long 
time (forty or fifty minutes) came up. She was taken on 
board the steamer, and for an hour and a half vigorous 
efforts were made to restore her by pressing and rubbing ; 



AND RESTORATION. 21 

then hope and exertions ceased. The parties were tired, 
and without reasonable hope. Colonel Favor, the express 
messenger, who gave us the particulars of the case, deter- 
mined to renew the efforts ; he was joined by others, and 
after two hours more of incessant working they had the 
great satisfaction of reviving their patient. Some years 
afterwards this same girl lived in our family as a domestic, 
and confirmed the account given by Colonel Favor. She 
said, however, that after the event her memory was not so 
good as previously. She also confirmed what has been 
asserted by others, viz. : that while beneath the water she 
saw the boats moving about overhead, and heard the per- 
sons in them shouting ; also that a panorama like a great 
sheet appeared to be unrolled before her, and upon it she 
saw vividly every act of her life. Among other things she 
saw a valuable ring which she and her sister used to wear 
by turn, but which had been lost for several years. Directly 
succeeding her recovery she had brain fever for five 
weeks ; and upon restoration to health told her sister 
where to look for the ring, which was found in the place 
indicated. 

Andrew Vesale, physician to Charles V., and afterwards 
to his successor, Philip II. of Spain, after attending a 
Spanish grandee, reported him dead, but not being quite 
easy in his mind, the day after solicited and obtained per- 
mission to examine the body. Finding it warm, he was 
astonished to feel the heart beating. Afraid to report the 
man living after he had reported him dead, he plunged a 
dagger into the beating heart, and killed him indeed. 
Then covering up the appearance of a wound, he departed. 
In preparing the body for burial, the wound was discov- 
ered, and the physician was accused of murder by the 
relatives. In addition the Inquisition tried him for pro- 
fanity. Through the intercession of the king he was sent 
on a mission to Asia, and thus escaped execution. 



22 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

At the sitting of the Royal Academy of France in 1827, 
a paper was read by M. Chauncy Chautournelle on the dan- 
ger of hasty burial. This led to a discussion, in which one 
of the members stated that the superintendent of the 
cemeteries of Paris informed him that many skeletons had 
been found in positions proving that they had turned 
in their coffins. The superintendent further informed 
him that he was so much concerned by the circumstance 
that he had inserted a clause in his will relating to his own 
burial. 

From the hundreds of cases that have occurred in 
France we select the few following incidents : — 

At Toulouse, in France, in November, 1866, a lady died 
and was buried in the church of the Capuchin Friars, with 
a diamond ring of considerable value upon her finger. A 
servant who knew this fact entered the vault by stealth to 
steal that ring ; but the finger being swollen, the ring would 
not come off. He then took out a knife, and began to cut 
off the finger, when the lady uttered a loud shriek, hearing 
which the thief fell prostrate and senseless. The monks 
shortly afterwards entering the church, heard groans, and 
being directed to the spot by the sound, found the lady 
alive and the would-be thief dead. Thus death had its 
victim, though with a change. The lady was removed, and 
in a few hours restored to her family. 

In Paris a street porter having died or fallen in a fit at 
the Hotel Dieu, was carried to the hospital morgue with 
the other dead bodies, where he remained until eleven 
o'clock at night ; reviving, he arose, and seeing himself 
surrounded by the bodies, and realizing where he was, 
rushed out and home to his lodgings, where he found it 
difficult to gain an entrance, it being reported that he was 
dead and buried. 

Towards the close of the last century a woman in Paris, 
supposed to be dead, was placed upon some straw, and, ac- 



AND RESTORATION. 23 

cording to custom, with a lighted candle at her feet. One 
of the watchers, in hastily passing, overturned it, and the 
straw was set on fire. When the flames reached the 
flesh of the supposed dead she screamed and rose. The 
flames were extinguished, and she was conveyed to a bed ; 
she recovered and lived a number of years. 

M. Rosseau, of Rouen, married a lady of fortune, and 
leaving her in perfect health started upon a short journey. 
On returning he found her in her coffin, and the funeral 
party ready. He had the coffin opened and the body of 
his wife placed on a bed. No less than twenty-five inci- 
sions were made by his order in the skin on different parts 
of the body, and with no result until the last, when the 
lady revived and said,, " How severely you wound me." 
Her recovery was rapid and lasting. 

The wife of a celebrated French lawyer, M. Dubauel, 
having died, and the twenty-four hours required by law 
having elapsed, the body was placed upon a table to pre- 
pare it for burial. The husband stood near, not willing to 
believe his wife dead, and struggling in his mind whether 
to oppose the funeral services or not. Remembering her 
delight at the sound of cymbals, he ordered a pair to be 
brought, also a drum. Upon their being sounded the lady 
revived, recovered voice and motion, and lived many years 
after her narrow escape from burial. 

Some years ago in the Assembly of France a debate oc- 
curred on the report of the committee appointed on the 
petition of Dr. Carnol for an amendment to the civil code 
in the matter of ante-burial ceremonies. The French law 
allows but twenty-four hours between death and burial; 
and this length of time Dr. Carnol declared to be insuffi- 
cient in the minimum of cases, supporting his assertions 
by numerous instances of suspended animation, and show- 
ing that he had good reason for his opinion that very many 
persons were buried alive annually in France. M. de la 



24 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

Guerroniere, in presenting the report of the committee, 
argued against the petition, and proposed to shelve it by 
the technical motion to proceed with the order of the day ; 
whereupon His Eminence, the Cardinal Archbishop of Bor- 
deaux, arose and expressed his dissent from the conclu- 
sions of the gentleman (Guerroniere), and supported such 
dissent by declaring that the precautionary regulations of 
the law were very frequently evaded in practice ; but the 
strength of his argument lay in the assertion that even if 
the laws were strictly carried out they were defective. 
This assertion he supported by stating that while a parish 
priest he had saved several lives about to be sacrificed by 
the indecent haste of friends ; he had seen a man taken 
from his coffin and restored to perfect health. Another 
man of advanced years had already been put into his coffin, 
and yet lived for twelve hours afterwards. And more, he 
himself had performed a miracle equal to any recorded in 
the Scriptures, and which, had it taken place in earlier 
times when the church and people believed in miracles, 
was enough to have caused him to be canonized as a saint. 
He saw the body of a young lady laid out for dead, the 
attendants covering the face as he entered, but allowing 
him to see so much of it as convinced him that the maiden 
was not dead, but in a sleep ; thereupon with a loud voice 
he cried that he had come to save her. He entreated her 
to feel convinced that by an effort she could shake off the 
lethargy which oppressed her, and return to life. His 
voice penetrated and revived her benumbed senses, so that 
she awoke and came back to life — lived for years. The 
French law, however, was not repealed or altered, but 
remains as it was, a blot upon the intelligence of the 
people. 

In 1863 a woman in a hospital in Algeria, who had, as 
was supposed, died from the effects of some obscure dis- 
ease, was carried to the dissecting room of that establish- 



AND RESTORATION. 25 

merit for post-mortem examination. At the first touch of 
the knife, the supposed dead body shrieked and sat up on 
the table. She awoke just in time from her trance or cat- 
alepsy, which might have been greatly prolonged but for 
the use of the scalpel. 

The Abbe Prevost was less fortunate, however; for he 
died from wounds inflicted by the knife under similar cir- 
cumstances, he being supposed dead from an attack of 
apoplexy. 

In April, 1868, the wife of a mechanic in Detroit died 
after a short illness, and the body was prepared for burial 
and put in charge of two watchers, one of whom, to satisfy 
herself that the woman really was dead, held a looking- 
glass over the mouth and observed moisture upon the 
glass. After repeating the experiment until she was as- 
sured that there was no mistake, she called in the friends 
of the woman to witness the fact, and they determined 
not to bury the body, but to keep it and watch for the 
return of life. On the fifth day the signs of animation 
were so encouraging that the body was removed from 
the coffin and placed in bed, where after a short time the 
woman opened her eyes and came to life. After a few 
days' care she recovered her usual health. 

The Boston " Traveller," June 2, 1868, contains the follow- 
ing : " An interesting case of restoration to life from drown- 
ing recently occurred in Rochester, N.Y. A little child 
strayed from its mother's side, and fell into a cistern full 
cf water. After some five or six minutes, as nearly as could 
be estimated, the child was discovered at the bottom of 
the cistern, apparently dead. A physician was immedi- 
ately sent for, who appeared after a short time (but which 
seemed very long), and began operations to restore vitality. 
The child was wrapped in warm flannels, and the process 
of inflating and compressing the lungs resorted to, and 
persevered in for three hours before signs of life appeared. 



26 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

Convulsions followed, but they were checked by the use of 
the gum-lancet ; finally the child was completely restored. 
The lessoii gained from this instance has been often repeated, 
but learned by few ; it is that patient, persevering, long con- 
tinued, judicious efforts will restore suspended vitality to 
drowned persons, in cases wJiicli at first appear quite hope- 
less." 

In June, 1869, a girl in Cleveland, Ohio, was taken ill, 
and after a short sickness died, and was laid out for burial ; 
but as her mother insisted that she was not dead, efforts 
were made for some time to restore her to life, but in vain. 
Her mother, however, refused to let her be buried ; and 
on the fifth day after that set for the funeral the slamming 
of a door aroused her, so that she recovered. She stated 
that during most of the eight days which she lay there, 
she was conscious and heard what was said, although 
wholly unable to make the least motion. The chances are 
that if a hand-glass had been held before her mouth there 
would have appeared a moisture upon it. 

In the year 1855 the wife of Rev. Mr. Wells, of Wood- 
stock, New Hampshire, was sick with consumption, and 
greatly reduced in flesh and strength, and it was with 
difficulty that she could swallow even liquids. One Friday 
she appeared to die, and was accordingly prepared for 
burial. On the following Monday the lady revived and 
conversed freely with her friends ; she told them that she 
was conscious and had heard all that was said about her, 
but was not able to speak or make the slightest motion. 
She lived for three weeks only after this time ; but during 
this period had no difficulty in swallowing, as had been the 
case before her unusual experience. 

Says the " South-Side Democrat," of Fredericton, June 30, 
1858 : " A singular circumstance took place in Allandford 
on Tuesday. The facts were given to our informant as fol- 
lows : A negro woman, named Martha Saunders, had been 



AND RESTORATION. 2J 

ill for some lime past, and on Monday her family and 
friends assembled around her, and took, as they thought, 
their farewell. She appeared to expire at about ten o'clock 
the same day, and the ceremonies of preparing her for the 
grave were duly begun, and every arrangement was made 
for the solemn rites of burial. At three o'clock on Tues- 
day afternoon, and some little time before she was to have 
been carried to her resting-place, to the amazement of 
those present she raised her head, and a short time after- 
wards sat up in her coffin. A general stampede took 
place among the negroes, who came to attend the funeral ; 
and those who remained were so stupified with fright 
that some time elapsed before assistance was procured. 
A physician was called in, and stimulants given, which im- 
mediately revived her, and at last accounts she was recov- 
ering and doing well. 

A warning against hasty burials occurred in Fremont, 

Sandusky County, Ohio, in June, 1856. D. S , Esq., 

had been ill with a fever for some time, and to all appear- 
ance died on one Friday afternoon. All the arrangements 
for the funeral had been made ; the relatives, friends, and 
minister were assembled to pay the last tribute of respect 
to the deceased, but as the body then appeared warm, res- 
torative means were resorted to, and in a very short time 
the man was sitting up, instead of being buried, and is now 
doing well. 

In a Western State, while the coffin containing the body 
was lying upon the table, or stand, waiting for the under- 
taker to screw down the lid, a creditor of the deceased 
came in hurriedly and presented a claim for $150 against 
him. An unrepealed law in the State allowed creditors' de- 
mands paid before burial. The assembled and astonished 
friends were moving about the room, and proposed to raise 
the amount on the spot, when one of them accidentally 
stumbled against the table and knocked over the coffin, 



28 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

whereupon the supposed dead man arose, and learning 
about the claim, said he would settle that himself pretty 
quickly. Without noticing his surroundings, he went to a 
desk, or bureau, in which he kept his books and papers, 
and in a few minutes showed the receipt for the claim ; 
and not only the receipt, but charges against the would-be 
creditor, to the amount of $IJ$, lawfully due him, who 
zvas supposed to be the dead debtor. 

In February, 1873, in the city of New York, Coroner 
Young was notified about nine o'clock in the morning, by 
a Mr. Depew, that a colored house-servant of his, named 
Carrie Johnson, was found dead in her bed that morning at 
his residence, 33 Morton street, and a permit was given Mr. 
Depew by the coroner to remove the body to the morgue. 
The gentleman was so certain that the girl was dead that 
he did not think it necessary to send for a doctor, but 
took the permit to the station-house, and the warden of 
Bellevue Hospital was telegraphed to send the wagon for 
the dead. This accordingly arrived at Mr. Depew's house 
at half-past two in the afternoon, when upon visiting the 
room the girl's head was discovered hanging over the side 
of the bed ; but it was thought to have been so placed by 
some one who had been trying to do something for her in 
the meantime. When the driver of the wagon took hold 
of the body, to place it in the coffin he had brought, he 
discovered that it was limp and warm about the stomach, 
abdomen, and loins, which he thought could not be the 
case with a person dead for several hours. Thereupon 
Mr. Depew sent for a physician, but before his arrival the 
driver had opened the girl's mouth and put some salt upon 
the tongue. The physician decided that the girl was not 
dead, and applied restoratives, but it was not until the 
afternoon of the next day that her restoration was accom- 
plished ; on which day, at four o'clock, she took a car, and 
went to the house of a friend. The girl was subject to 



AND RESTORATION. 29 

catalepsy, and had been similarly affected a few months 
previously, at which time also she narrowly escaped burial. 
A young man in the town of Vassalboro, Maine, was 
suffering in the last stages of consumption, as was an- 
nounced by his physician. For several weeks he had been 
so prostrated as to be unable to speak, and finally became 
so pressed for breath that the fire was put out and the 
windows raised. On the 13th March, 1875 he died. 
Friendly hands prepared the poor, emaciated body for 
burial ; but as they were arranging the remains for the 
casket destined to contain them, unmistakable evidence of 
returning life appeared, in what had seemed a mass of in- 
animate clay : it was discovered that the heart had begun 
again to make its slow and measured beats, the pulse 
throbbed, the young man arose in his death-shroud, and 
spoke clearly and distinctly to those who stood appalled 
about him in the chamber. There was no huskiness of 
voice ; he appeared lively, and to use his own words, "he felt 
just as well as he ever did." At his request the neighbors 
were called in, and they crowded the house for hours, de- 
claring that his recovery was equal to any miracle recorded 
in the Scriptures. He told the company that as he died, all 
things seemed dark, but only for an instant ; his eyes sud- 
denly opened to a new world, — the heaven which had been 
so many times in his thoughts, and had given him so much 
comfort in his last weeks of pain and sorrow. He stood 
upon a height which overlooked a vast and beautiful plain 
that extended far beyond the reach of his vision, and he 
described the scene in language which sounded extravagant 
in the extreme to his hearers. But the resuscitation of 
the young man was of very short duration ; before night 
he again succumbed, and this time died unmistakably. 
The body was kept several days, and finally, positive evi- 
dence of death being present, was buried on the Sunday 
following, the funeral being largely attended. 



30 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

On the 28th January, 1866, a woman, twenty-five years 
of age, a maker of artificial flowers, was taken to the Great 
Northern Hospital of London, at half-past twelve o'clock, 
noon, having been taken out of the Regent's Canal in the 
Caledonia Road. When first called, Mr. Ellis, the warden, 
was informed that the woman was dead, and to all appear- 
ances she was, no pulse or respiration being perceptible. 
The wet clothing was removed and artificial respiration 
exerted, after the manner prescribed by Drs. Marshall, 
Hall, and Sylvester, the arms were brought down in con- 
tact with the chest, and the body half rolled over, the 
mouth being kept open, and tongue drawn forward ; en- 
deavors were made to excite respiration, by holding am- 
monia, etc., to the nostrils. After ten or fifteen minutes 
the patient made a feeble attempt at breathing, and after a 
few minutes more she was so far restored that she drank a 
little brandy. She was then removed to bed, wrapped in 
blankets, and bottles filled with hot water applied to her 
thighs and feet, and mustard pastes to the abdomen ; the 
legs were rubbed briskly, and warm flannels used for the 
purpose of restoring the circulation. She was then left in 
charge of a woman who was instructed to give her beef 
tea, stimulants, etc. At two o'clock she reported that the 
patient was dead. This was false, however, as she revived, 
and from two o'clock until four she was kept in a sitting 
position, it being found that upon her lying down the heart 
would cease to beat. At four o'clock she improved, and 
the breathing and circulation became stronger and more 
regular ; by half-past five she had gained so rapidly that 
she was allowed to sleep until nine o'clock in the evening, 
when she seemed quite well. Two days afterwards she 
was pronounced entirely well, and left the hospital. The 
chief difficulty in using Dr. Sylvester's method is in over- 
coming the rigidity of the muscles of the arms to place 
them as he prescribes. — (London Lancet, May 5, 1866.) 



AND RESTORATION. 3 I 

A case occurred on board an Indiaman, proceeding with 
troops, women, and children, in 1864, in which a child was 
restored to life three separate times in one night by 
Charles Moore Jessup, Staff Surgeon, and Associate of 
King's College, London. September 7th, having been at 
sea five weeks, a fine healthy baby, three months old, 
was attacked with capillary bronchitis, and did very well 
until the tenth day ; then relapsed, but soon rallied ; and at 
nine or ten o'clock in the night appeared to be doing well. 
At fifteen minutes to twelve the surgeon was called, the 
father reporting that the child was dead ; and lying in its 
mother's arms, it appeared to be, — no pulse, no breath, pupils 
of the eyes contracted and insensible to light, and but a 
slight fluttering in the region of the heart, at the rate of 
twenty or thirty times a minute. Dr. Jessup alternately 
raised and depressed the arms, as prescribed by Dr. Syl- 
vester, for artificial respiration, and continued doing so for 
four or five minutes, when the pallor of the lips changed to 
a more healthy hue ; and then, with the aid of friction to 
the feet and legs, he continued the process until the lips 
were crimsoned, and the breathing re-established. He 
then administered half an ounce of gravy soup and brandy 
for an injection, ordered the friction to be continued with 
oil, extending to the stomach at intervals. He then retired. 
At one o'clock he was again called by the father, who said, 
" He is really dead this time, sir." The doctor found the 
lower jaw fallen, no pulse or respiration ; and had it not 
been for the contracted pupils, said he would have pro- 
nounced the child really dead. He commenced the same 
treatment as before, and with similar results, and leaving 
again came back at two o'clock, when he learned that the 
breath had gradually decreased in number and strength, 
and that there had been none for several minutes. For 
the third time he adopted the Sylvester method of artificial 
respiration, by extending and putting back the arms to the 



32 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

sides, and this time with entire success, — continuing the 
same for a few minutes previous to the hours of three, 
four, five, and six, in the morning, and finally at eight 
o'clock, after which the child remained permanently 
well. Thus, concludes the doctor in relating the incident, 
this child, three months old, but for the method of Dr. 
Sylvester being put into practice, must have died on any 
one of the three times when his breathing ceased. The 
injection of gravy ; soup, and brandy was given after the 
first attack, once in twenty minutes, but subsequently not 
oftener than every two hours. 

Mrs. Longley, of Westbrook, Me., told the author in 
September, 1869, that, about six years before, a young lady 
of Hadley, Mass., eighteen years of age, returned from 
school one day, complaining of great fatigue, as the result 
of hard study, and lying down slept a much longer time 
than usual. Her friends not being able to awake her, called 
in the doctor, who, failing to arouse her by the ordinary 
means, proceeded to bleed her, and did so freely ; this not 
having the desired effect, he cupped her along the spine, 
whereupon she revived. This young woman afterwards 
married, lived a number of years, and enjoyed good health. 

The same lady related that a Mr. J , of Grafton, 

Mass., in the year 1861 or 1862, after a long ride in the 
cold with some friends, was found, when they stopped at a 
hotel on the road, to be in a stupid condition and could not 
be aroused. He was regarded as being under the influence 
of drink ; and when they arrived home they again tried to 
arouse him, but in vain, so he was allowed to sleep it off, 
but the next day was pronounced dead. After the usual 
time had passed, he was placed in a casket and put into the 
tomb, to be buried in the spring. When the casket was 
opened in the spring it was discovered that the man had 
revived, partially forced off the lid, and torn his nails and 
fingers severely in trying to liberate himself. 



AND RESTORATION, 33 

At the Howard Theatre, in Boston, a few years ago, a 
spectator, who had, as was afterwards learned, taken opium, 
could not be awakened when those in charge desired to 
close the house for the night. He was removed by friends ; 
and while they were making the arrangements for burial, he 
opened his eyes, arose, and asked for a glass of beer. After 
a short time he recovered entirely. 

In 1852 a young lady in Highgate, Vt, was taken sud- 
denly sick, died apparently, and was laid out for burial. 
Although the circulation and respiration had to all appear- 
ance ceased, the body remained warm about the stomach, 
and in the region of the heart ; and this causing some 
to doubt whether she was really dead, the body was kept, 
but no efforts were made to resuscitate her. She remained 
in that condition four days and nights, when she awoke to 
consciousness. Her explanation of her condition was, that 
she had been in the Spirit-land, had seen countless multi- 
tudes of happy people, and in her lectures afterwards be- 
sought her hearers to live strictly upright lives. The 
name of the young lady need not be called ; but after this 
occurrence, she went about the country as a religious lec- 
turer and teacher. In her exhortations she would say that 
" she had a duty to perform, a mission to fulfil, and that at 
the end of a given number of years she would die and go 
back to that glorious and final resting-place of all good and 
virtuous people," and she did. 

In Rumney, N.H., on the 24th February, 1870, Mr. 
Ross, a resident of that place, told the author the following, 
which had occurred some years before in Hanover, N.H., 
and which had made an impression on his mind that he 
could never forget. A child apparently died, and was 
buried. Several weeks later a grave for another person 
was dug so near that of the child that the earth between 
them caved into the newly-made grave; and the diggers, 
being curious to see what changes had taken place in the 



34 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

appearance of the body, opened the coffin. To their amaze- 
ment they found that the corpse had turned on its side, 
and the lining of the coffin and the clothes within reach 
of the hands were torn to rags, and stained with blood that 
had flowed from scratches and from the mouth. The 
coffin was closed and replaced, but these facts were kept a 
secret among the men, to spare the feelings of the parents. 
Many years afterwards, when the parents had passed away, 
the facts became known to many, among whom was Mr. 
Ross, the narrator. 

In February, 1872, John D. B , a prominent busi- 
ness man of Palmer, Mass., fell dead in his own door-yard 
from what was supposed to be disease of the heart. On 
the Monday following the funeral was held ; the grave was 
dug, and preparations were being made to convey the body 
from the house, when the lifelike appearance of the face 
was remarked, and doubts were expressed as to his being 
dead. It was discovered that there were warm spots under 
the arms and on the back. The idea of burial was given 
up, and a galvanic battery applied by the doctor, without 
restoring life, however ; and he ceased his efforts, pro- 
nouncing the man dead, but advising that the body be 
kept until some positive evidence of deathlike decomposi- 
tion appeared. The body was kept seven clays, during the 
whole of which time it remained unchanged, and the blood 
limpid as in life, while the warm spots were the same. Un- 
fortunately the account here terminates. 

In Burlington, Wisconsin, in February, 1869, a little 
girl, seven or eight years of age, lay in a cataleptic fit or 
trance for twelve days. Before she went into this condi- 
tion, she told her mother, Mrs. R (the child's name 

was Minnie), that she was going to sleep, but would not 
die, and not to bury her. They did not bury her for twelve 
days, when, concluding she was really dead, they buried 
her without making any efforts to restore her. It is easy 
to believe that this child was not dead. 



AND RESTORATION. 35 



In the month of May, 1869, in the second district of 
New Orleans, a young lady, on returning from early mass, 
was seized with sickness, supposed to be heart disease, 
and apparently died after a few minutes. She was sup- 
posed to be dead by the physician (her own uncle) who 
was called, and remained with her until one o'clock, when 
he pronounced life extinct. Preparations were made for 
her burial. At five o'clock in the afternoon she was in- 
terred in the Catholic cemetery. (In New Orleans the 
graves are shelves in raised mounds ; on these shelves the 
coffins or caskets are placed and thrust in head-first their 
entire length. The door consists of a slab, or stone, which 
can be closed and locked, the same as though it were a 
single tomb.) About dusk the sexton's son, on his rounds 
before locking up the cemetery, happened to pass along 
the path on which the tomb of this young lady was situ- 
ated, and when in front of the same heard agonizing 
moans proceeding from it. Losing his self-possession and 
frightened, he ran to the gate of the cemetery, locked it, 
hurried home and went to his room, which he did not leave 
till next day, when he told his father of what he had heard. 
The sexton immediately notified the young lady's parents, 
and upon their proceeding to the cemetery, and opening 
the coffin, a most shocking spectacle was seen. The 
young lady had evidently come to life, and in her agony at 
finding herself buried alive, had struggled fearfully ; her 
face and body were terribly distorted, her hair torn from 
her head, while her hands were clenched and showed the 
marks of her teeth. It is not necessary to say that when 
discovered in this state life was entirely extinct. The 
horror of the parents, and of the physician and uncle, can- 
not be described. 

In the same month of 1869 Thomas H , of Burling- 
ton, Iowa, died on Thursday morning, and was buried in 
the evening. When the sexton had partly filled the grave, 



36 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

a noise from the coffin was heard, which caused him at 
once to uncover and raise it. The coffin on being opened 
disclosed the eyes of the dead man widely opened. The 
body was kept until the next day, but showing no further 
signs of life, was again buried. It is very doubtful about 
this man's being dead ; on the contrary, he could very 
likely have been restored to life with proper exertions, — 
unless he had revived, and died of terror at finding himself 
buried alive. 

In July, 1868, Mrs. Crane died suddenly from sunstroke. 

Her husband was book-keeper with Messrs. F & Co., 

wholesale druggists on Magazine street, and she was teacher 
in a public school. The next day her body was interred at 
ten o'clock in the morning, and her mother returned home 
from the funeral almost brokenhearted. Some days after, 
she dreamed that her daughter had been buried alive. 
Awaking suddenly, and vividly impressed by her dream, or 
vision, she rushed into the room of her son-in-law, and 
cried, " You have buried my daughter alive ! What shall 
I do?" She could not be quieted; so the son-in-law, to 
satisfy her, proposed to have the tomb opened. This was 
done, and on drawing forth the casket, the glass above the 
face was found broken, the fingers of the dead bitten and 
torn by the glass ; her hands, face, and everything within 
reach were marked with blood, and quantities of hair were 
torn from her head, and scattered over her breast. The 
expression of agony caused the poor mother to faint, and a 
sickness of several weeks' duration. 

In Stonington, Conn., in February, 1870, Miss Susan 
K , a lady of twenty-three, and of fine personal appear- 
ance, a daughter of Ex-Governor K , was taken sick 

with an affection of the throat, by which she was confined 
to her bed for several days, when, being supposed conva- 
lescent, she was allowed to come down stairs. That night 
she grew suddenly worse, complained of pains in her hands 



AND RESTORATION. 3/ 

and feet, which increased in severity until the next day, 
when she passed into an unconscious state, in which she 
remained till her supposed death. The usual preparations 
for burial were made, and the friends had gathered around 
to take a last look, when a physician present said he 
thought he saw signs of life, and at his suggestion the 
body was removed from the coffin and laid in blankets ; 
friction and artificial respiration were resorted to, but with- 
out success. Next day the galvanic battery was used, but 
with no effect. The body was again placed in the coffin, 
where it remained for several days, and it was estimated 
that during the fourteen days following as many as twenty- 
five hundred persons saw it. The appearance was that of a 
person in good health, asleep ; the face was full and life- 
like, cheeks flushed, lips red, eyes full and not sunken, and 
no visible appearances of death. There was a total ab- 
sence of muscular rigidity, and six days after her supposed 
death the bed was perceptibly warmed by her body. Phy- 
sicians applied stethoscopes, but failed to detect any pulsa- 
tion. Then a lighted match was applied to an exposed 
part of the skin, but the burn did not blister or fill with 
serum, as is the case when life is present. Many physicians 
from the surrounding country visited her and beheld the 
wonderful phenomena ; but they disagreed, as usual, some 
saying that the young lady was dead and the lifelike ap- 
pearance caused by arsenic, which she might have taken 
for her complexion (which was very fine). But the mother 
and friends denied that she had ever taken arsenic for any 
purpose. The body was kept twenty days in all, when it 
was placed in the tomb, lacking just as much positive evi- 
dence of death as it had at any time during the period it 
had been kept, — looking exactly like a person in sound 
sleep. 

The following was told the author by Albert Webster, 
Esq., of Plymouth, N.H. : The health of his brother 



38 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

Sheldon being delicate, he gradually sank, and, as the fam- 
ily supposed, died. He certainly ceased to move, breathe, 
or exhibit any of the usual signs of life, and was therefore 
prepared for burial. But just before the body was secured 
in the casket he revived, spoke, and was restored to the 
family circle. Afterwards, at intervals a few days apart, 
he went through the same conditions for some weeks ; but 
his friends being warned, did not hasten to bury him, and 
he revived on each occasion, until finally, when actual 
death occurred, they kept the body until decomposition set 
in. The author was well acquainted with the family, and 
knew the sick brother. 

In Boston, June 15, 1869 : " A babe of Mrs. D. F. Quinn, 
two weeks old, apparently died, and was clothed for burial ; 
but before being placed in the coffin began to cry, and 
completely revived. Later in the day the child again died, 
and was again prepared for burial, but after a deathlike ap- 
pearance of two hours' duration it again exhibited signs of 
life, and began to cry ; is now doing well." 

Mr. Benjamin Shaw, of Gardiner, Me., related to the 
author the following facts : In 1844 Mrs. John D. Blake, 
of Gardiner, Me., who afterwards removed to Pawtucket, 
R. I., was very sick with a fever. For several days she 
had no pulse, and finally was supposed to be dead. The 
appearance was, however, so lifelike that her friends were 
in doubt about death being actual. They held a hand-glass 
over her mouth, and the moisture of the breath was visible 
upon it, although she could not be seen to breathe. After 
lying in that condition for three days she awoke to con- 
sciousness and revived. She gradually regained her usual 
health, and may, for all we know, be at the present time 
living in Pawtucket. If so, she is a woman of undoubted 
veracity, and would reassert what she told Mr. Shaw, which 
we here relate. She said she had been in the land of spir- 
its, and had seen many of her friends who had passed on 



AND RESTORATION. 39 

before her, and several whom she believed to be still living 
until she met them there. Upon inquiry she learned that 
they had but recently passed from the mortal to the im- 
mortal. She saw none of her friends whom she knew posi- 
tively to be living. We did not understand that Mrs. 
Blake was a Spiritualist before her wonderful experience, 
or that she became one. 

In June, 1870, a physician (Dr. Stroinski) stopped at the 
house of George Chandler, a farmer living near the Lowell 
Railroad, between Nashua and Tyngsboro, and was in- 
formed by Mrs. Chandler that her daughter Susan had 
died on the previous Saturday, and the body had been 
placed in a coffin for interment. The doctor, upon exam- 
ining the remains, said that the girl was not dead, but only 
in a fit. He had the body removed and placed in a warm 
bath. After a good deal of rubbing, and movements made 
for artificial breathing, the girl was brought to life. After 
leaving some medicines, the doctor went on his way, and 
during the next day the girl voided a tapeworm of un- 
usually large size. We recollect of reading a statement of 
an English practitioner and writer that he had made many 
post-mortem examinations of patients who had been during 
life subject to epileptic fits or fits of somnambulism, in 
every one of which he found one or more tapeworms, and 
not unfrequently one or more families of the lesser classes 
of these intestinal parasites. We are of the opinion that 
the cause of epilepsy may be worms. 

On August 15, 1863, Henry Meyers, of St. Cloud street, 
was struck by lightning, and, supposed to be dead, was duly 
laid out and a coroner's inquest held, at which he was pro- 
nounced dead. While lying in his coffin, waiting to be bur- 
ied, he revived, sat up, and asked "the cause of all this ; " 
and after twenty-four hours of suspended animation he was 
helped from his coffin, and fully restored. 



40 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

[From the New Orleans "Times."] 

In May, 1873, a child was laid out for interment, — the 
coffin lid not put on, but the friends surrounding and re- 
garding the body. The funeral carriages were drawn up in 
front of the house. Suddenly there arose a thunder storm, 
and simultaneously with one of the most deafening claps 
the child opened his eyes, and immediately resumed his 
natural ability to help himself. 

A physician from Georgia related the fact of a colored 
woman, who, under intense religious excitement, swooned 
and remained unconscious and breathless for four days, and 
then revived. No pulsation was distinguishable. 

Says a recent writer : " I pity the stranger who dies 
within the gates of Munich. Every one here is treated with 
equal injustice, be he high or low, friend or foe. The body 
of the deceased is taken almost immediately to the ceme- 
tery, where there is a chamber of death prepared for its 
reception. Windows look in upon the couches, and almost 
every hour there are anxious faces peering in at the bodies, 
as they lie side by side, until the hour of burial. Among 
the number may be seen those borne thither from the ball 
or bridal halls, attired tastefully and gaudily, so that, if they 
revive, the scene may be as agreeable and cheerful as pos- 
sible. Wires are attached to the hands and feet, so that, 
in case of an awakening, the bell will ring and summon the 
watchman to bear away the body to the friends." Tradi- 
tion gives only a very few cases of revival to life, and one 
reason for it would be, that no efforts were made to revive 
their energies or circulate the blood. A similar custom of 
hasty burial prevails in many countries, but not in the 
United States, although custom becomes law, it is said, in 
a hundred years, and for a longer period than that our an- 
cestors have adopted this rule, viz. : "The sooner their dead 
were out of the house and the funeral over, the sooner will 
the living become reconciled to their loss." 



AND RESTORATION. 4 1 

At Concord, N.H., in 1842, Mrs. Nancy B. Fletcher, 
aunt of the author, retired to her chamber, as was her cus- 
tom after dinner, for a short sleep. Not returning to the 
sitting-room as usual, her niece called at her door ; receiv- 
ing no reply, she went to her, shook her by the hand, but 
got no response. She called in the neighbors, then the 
family physician, who pronounced her dead from some 
affection of the heart. This was at five o'clock p.m. A 
messenger was sent for her husband, who was fifty miles 
from home. He arrived the next forenoon. She was pre- 
pared for interment, and the day following, about forty-two 
hours after the supposed death, she was taken in her coffin 
and deposited in the Old North Church Cemetery. 

The author at that time was several hundred miles from 
Concord, and did not attend the funeral; but, afterwards, 
when the husband related the peculiarities of his wife's 
decease, we were of the opinion that she had been buried 
alive. The account given by her husband was that there 
were no signs whatever of death, except the absence of 
pulsation and breathing. She had more color in the face 
than usual, hands and feet were perfectly warm, soft, and 
flexible, as in life. "But," he added, "the weather was 
warm, and for some cause she remained warm and lifelike." 
Of course the author said nothing to disturb his mind. 

About thirty-eight years subsequently, while taking tea 
at the late Dr. Bouton's, the subject of Mrs. F.'s death 
came up during the conversation ; and Dr. Bouton ventured 
his opinion " that Mrs. Fletcher was not dead when placed 
in her coffin, and that she was in a cataleptic or somnam- 
bulic state, was warm, flexible, and with fresh color in the 
face." "Why, then," he was asked, "did you not speak 
out and object to the funeral ? " He replied, " I was inex- 
perienced in such matters, and thought the doctor must 
know; but in after life," he added, "I was forced to be- 
lieve, upon reflection, that Mrs. Fletcher was not dead 
when placed in her coffin." 



42 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

While the author was a student with Dr. McK , of 

Boston, an invitation was sent to the latter to attend a post- 
mortem examination one afternoon at No. — Hanover street, 

at three oclock. Doctors C and S called at the 

appointed time, and we four set out for the work before us, 

and, as usual, "Fletcher must go to assist." Dr. S , 

who had had the case at the Tremont House, was called at 
10.30 o'clock in the morning. The man (a waiter) had 
swooned away, and died in half an hour ; therefore there was 
no organic difficulty to examine for. The question was to 
discover the cause of sudden death. It might be rupture of 
a blood-vessel in the head, or internal aneurism, apoplexy, 
epilepsy, paralysis, or heart disease. While they were en- 
gaged thus, the writer was examining the body, which was 
warm, the arms very rigid, and under them the usual degree 

of warmth as in life. The student said to Dr. C , " Do 

you think he is dead ? " and his reply was, " He seems and 

feels much like life." He then remarked to Dr. McK , 

" Fletcher thinks the subject is not dead; but he is dead 
enough ; no fear about that." The next instant the scalpel 
opened the thorax, and blood flowed as freely and as freshly 
as it would have done in life, in perfect health. As he con- 
tinued his examination, each of the surrounding physicians 
remarked in turn, " How fresh and freely the blood flows ; 
really I never saw anything like it," and when the exami- 
nation reached the brain, Dr. McK observed, " I de- 
clare, this is remarkable, — never saw anything like it." 

During that afternoon Dr. McK and the author were 

alone in the office, and the subject was spoken of. Dr. 

McK said he had doubts about the operation having 

been a post-mortem examination (that is, one made after 
death), but feared it might have been an ante-mortem (or 
one before death). The author expressed his belief that 
the body was alive when operated upon, and vowed never 
again to assist or look on, and allow a similar act. Dr. 



AND RESTORATION. 43 

McK had arrived at the same conclusion, and then re- 
lated a case in which he was called upon by a brother phy- 
sician to make a post-mortem examination. 

"The subject had been put into a Thompsonian steam- 
box. After being steamed for a while the door was opened 
and a pailful of cold water dashed upon him, the door 
closed, and steam let on again. After several sudden 
shocks the man swooned and appeared to die. At the post- 
mortem examination, as the doctors stood by him, one in- 
quired how long since he came from the steam-box. The 
answer was, 'Four hours or more.' He was perfectly warm 
and flexible, with all the appearance of life. ' Well,' said 

one, 'Dr. McK ; suppose you try the scalpel ; you are 

good with it.' I took it, and at that moment passed my 
finger down along the breast-bone, where I intended to 
open the thorax or chest, and, upon my word (it could not 
be imagination), the blood rushed over the face of the sub- 
ject up to the roots of his hair. And now, Fletcher, I am 
resolved never again, under any circumstances, to examine 
a subject until he is to a certainty dead." 

Jacob Merrill, a watchmaker of Campton, N.H., related 
to the author, when a young man, an experience which he 
had. He fell into the river, and, never having learned to 
swim, went to the bottom. With efforts and struggling he 
came to the surface ; and,, after rising and sinking two or 
three times, he went down slowly, amid the shouting and 
screaming on the shore. He stated that, as he lay there, 
he saw people running up and down the banks, saw them 
building a raft of boards and rails, with which to rescue 
him ; he was free from pain, and saw apparently a great 
sheet unrolled and passed before him, upon which was a 
record of all the events of his life. It seemed to him as 
though he lay there several hours, before losing conscious- 
ness. How long he was unconscious he was wholly un- 
able to tell; but the first return of his senses was accom- 



44 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

panied by terrible agony, indescribable pains all over and 
through his body. The drowning was pleasure, compared 
with the reviving to life. Subsequently he was drowned 
again, and underwent similar experiences. To the author 
he said, laughing, "And I have got to die again, by-and-by, 
I suppose." 

In January, 1865, John Reiley, a young man twenty-four 
or twenty-five years of age, living at Lot 7 Road, Prince 
Edward Island, returned home on Sunday evening, with 
his brother-in-law, Martin Merrigan, who carried some wood 
into the house, while Reiley took in a back-log. Reiley 
seated himself upon a chair, and began removing his boots. 
After taking one off, he placed his hand upon the back of 
his neck, and complained of an intense pain ; started for 
the lounge, but staggered, and would have fallen had he not 
been caught. He was placed on the lounge, but never re- 
covered. This was on Sunday night. The funeral took 
place on Tuesday. There was a perfectly natural look 
about the body, and the face was noticed by all. On the 
day of the funeral there was a sweat on the forehead, 
color in the face, and the body was neither cold nor stiff, 
though the day was a most severe one ; and two large 
evergreen trees had to be place'd near the grave, to serve 
as a barrier against the weather. We have here a very 
unusual case, and given to us by an eye-witness ; that of 
a young man, apparently in perfect health, passing into in- 
sensibility instantly, and without any uncommon cause, or 
more than would happen on any day. Although the man 
was not revived, we think it a case of suspended anima- 
tion. 

Rev. William Tennent, of Freehold, Monmouth County, 
N.J., born in Ireland, in June, 1705, when a young man 
determined to devote himself to the ministry. He went to 
New Brunswick, N.J., and applied himself so closely to his 
studies that his health became injured, he lost flesh 



AND RESTORATION. 45 

rapidly, was troubled with a pain in the chest, and was 
reduced almost to a skeleton. He rapidly grew worse, 
until little hope of his life was entertained. One morning, 
while talking with his brother about future happiness, he 
fainted, and appeared to die. After a short time he was 
laid out, and those in the neighborhood invited to attend 
the funeral next day. In the evening his physician and 
friend (to whom he was greatly attached, and who cher- 
ished the warmest friendship towards him) returned, and 
was much affected by the news of the death. He could 
scarcely credit his senses ; and upon examining the body 
he thought there were visible signs of life. He had the 
body removed to a warm bed, and began working over it, 
and insisted that people should be notified not to come to 
the funeral. The brother objected; but the doctor finally 
prevailed, and continued his exertions. The third day ar- 
rived, and no hopes were entertained by anybody except 
the doctor, who staid by the body day and night. The 
people were again invited, and assembled to attend the 
funeral. The doctor, still objecting, continued his requests 
for delay ; first for hours, then for a half-hour, and finally 
for fifteen minutes. During this last period, while the 
doctor was wetting the tongue, the brother came in, and 
declared that such delays and working over the body were 
useless and shameful, insisting that the funeral should at 
once proceed. Just at this critical time the supposed 
corpse opened his eyes, gave a groan, and sank again into 
apparent death. Of course all thoughts of a funeral were 
now banished, and every attempt made to resuscitate the 
man. After an hour there was a second indication of life, 
similar to the first, and instantly succeeded by a relapse. 
Before long a complete revival took place, to the great joy 
of the family and amazement of those who had been ridi- 
culing the idea of restoring a corpse to life. Mr. Tennent's 
recovery was, for some weeks, so slow that doubts were 



46 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

entertained as to the ultimate result ; however, after a few 
months he gained much faster, and at the end of a year 
was wholly restored. Upon examination after recovery, 
he was found to be totally ignorant of every transaction 
of his life preceding his wonderful experience. He could 
neither read nor write, and had no idea what a Bible was, 
and was, therefore, obliged to again begin learning, the 
same as a child. One day, when reading some Latin, with 
which he had been very familiar formerly, he stopped 
short, rubbed his head, and said it seemed as though it was 
something he had seen or known before. By degrees, 
from this time, his memory returned, until he had a per- 
fect recollection of his past life, and of the knowledge 
which he had forgotten. 

In Freelandsville, Indiana, in March, 1879, happened 
what was considered a remarkable case of trance. The 
subject was Miss Flora Feihleman, daughter of a well-to-do 
farmer, near that place. The young lady, whose family 
are Catholics, returned home from the school of Notre 
Dame, last December, coming to stay. Since her ar- 
rival she has been in very ill health, moaning and tossing 
in fever at night. Immediately after the late cold spell, 
she was attacked with pneumonia, now so fatally prevalent 
in this region. Notwithstanding she had the best medical 
attendance to be procured in this vicinity, she died on 
Monday, March 3, or, at least, apparently died, for the 
village physician in charge pronounced her dead. Were 
it not for the fact, that Miss Feihleman was an only 
daughter, she might have been buried immediately ; but it 
was decided to keep the body until the arrival of friends 
from Ohio, who had been sent for. This delayed the 
burial until the 8th of March, on which day the funeral was 
to take place at two o'clock p.m. As the friends were 
taking a last look (the body not having been taken from 
the house), the mother, being the last to do so, suddenly 



AND RESTORATION. 47 

bent over it, and, uttering a cry, declared she saw the eye- 
lids move, as in life. The father and other relatives, tried 
by all means to gently draw her away from the body, and 
had nearly accomplished this, when, to the surprise of all, 
the young lady herself assumed a sitting posture in the 
coffin. She gazed around with a vacant, surprised stare, 
not unlike persons in a trance when coming to conscious- 
ness, and then sank back, apparently exhausted. She was 
at once removed and placed in bed ; but as many as three 
hours passed before she was conscious enough to talk 
about her condition. The time she passed in trance was a 
perfect blank to her. The parents w T ere overjoyed, and 
the case excited a great deal of comment in that vicinity. 

In January, 1879, a lady travelling in the central part of 
Arkansas, was obliged to make part of her journey by 
stage. The only passenger in the coach besides herself, 
was a man very thinly clad, so far as could be judged. 
During the passage over the mountains, he complained 
of cold, but finally fell asleep. Arriving at the station 
on the north of the mountain, the driver attempted to 
awaken the man ; but found, to his horror, that he was dead, 
and frozen so as to be rigid. He was taken from the coach, 
and into a room, which, though cool, was some degrees 
warmer than freezing. The lady states, that, when she 
was leaving on the next day (having been obliged to 
remain over night), she was surprised to learn that signs 
of life were present in the supposed dead man, who was to 
have been buried that forenoon. After brisk rubbing 
with flannels, wet with spirits, for an hour or so, he had re- 
vived so as to speak. At the time of her departure, he 
was fast recovering. Had he remained in his unconscious 
state a few hours longer, he would surely have been buried, 
as all who saw him thought life extinct. 

At Bridgewater, N.H., in 1825, Walter Webster, a prom- 
inent and well-known citizen, while riding with his wife 



48 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

past the churchyard, drove in to look at some lots. In 
passing a newly made grave, the wheels of his carriage 
sank so deeply into the earth, as to cause suspicion that a 
body had been taken up by the doctors for dissection. He 
reported the incident to the friends, who, for their satisfac- 
tion, had the coffin taken up, and, upon opening it, found 
that the grave had not been robbed, but that the buried 
man had turned upon his side, torn his robe as far as he 
could reach, and had horribly bitten his tongue. Their 
feelings can be better imagined than described. 

At Irasburg, Vt., in April, 1869, a lad sick with mem- 
braneous croup, was given up, and appeared to pass away. 
Preparations were made to lay him out ; but, during this 
operation, a very faint rattle was heard in his throat ; the 
most vigorous exertions were made to resuscitate him, and 
in a short time he was restored to his friends, as 'one from 
the dead. 

A gentleman known to the author, told him some few 
years ago, he was watching with a young lady friend, who 
had died, and to preserve the features, kept the face cov- 
ered with cloths wet in spirits. In removing these, for the 
purpose of wetting them anew, he accidently spilled some 
of the liquid over the face, when to his great surprise, the 
shock caused by the cold spirits revived the lady, and res- 
tored her to consciousness. 

The wife of a well-known citizen of Westfield, Mass., 
who died a year-and-a-half ago, was recently exhumed for 
burial in another lot. Some persons present had the curi- 
iosity to open the coffin ; and discovered, to their horror, 
that the lady had turned over, and the hands clinched in 
the hair of her head, while the burial clothing within her 
reach was torn into shreds. "Can there be any doubt of 
her having been buried alive ? " 

A small-pox patient came very near being buried alive 
at Ottawa, Canada, in January, 1880. After the coffin had 



AND RESTORATION. 49 

been lowered into the grave, the noise made by the first 
few shovelfuls of earth falling upon it, aroused the sup- 
posed dead man, and caused him to kick vigorously in the 
coffin ; this being hastily removed, and the cover unscrewed, 
the supposed corpse sat up and exclaimed, " My God, have 
I had such a narrow escape? " He was at once removed 
(an overcoat being thrown about him), and was taken to 
the hospital, where he did well, and recovered. 

At Baltimore, Md., in 1881, Barbara Liefeldt, aged 
twenty-three, died, apparently, at Christmas, but was warm 
and lifelike ; she was placed in a vault. The friends not 
being satisfied, opened the coffin, and found the color fresh 
in her face, the body not cold, and strong indications of 
life present. As the superintendent of the cemetery was 
not willing to have the body taken away, the coffin was left 
open, and a watch kept to see if she would revive in that 
cold place. After waiting twelve or fourteen days (her 
face having several times assumed a natural appearance, 
then becoming pale), she was buried, without any means 
having been used for restoring her. At the time of her 
burial there was no indication of decomposition, and it is 
fair to presume, that any possible chance of revival was- de- 
stroyed by leaving her in a cold tomb. The same is true in 
scores of other cases, in which the bodies of those who ap- 
pear to die, are placed by their friends in cold rooms, with 
sheets over them ; and, if in a trance, they will become so 
chilled as to be bevond recovery. 

In February, 1876, John Hammell, a farmer, near Seneca 
Falls, N.Y., was found frozen near the house of a Mr. More- 
house, having lain out of doors all night. The coroner, 
who was sent for, to take charge of the body, and see that 
it was properly buried, pronounced life extinct. But a 
physician happening to come in, made an examination of 
the body ; after which he declared the body not dead, and 
that he might possibly be recovered. Here was a differ- 



50 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

ence of opinion between the doctor and the coroner. But 
the doctor was allowed to go ahead with his restoratives, 
to see if he could raise the dead. Sure enough, John 
Hammell did eventually open his eyes, and now he is alive 
and a well man. 

In May, 1876, John Clayton, of Painterhood Township, 
Kansas, was very sick with pneumonia, and sent for Dr. 
Searcy, of Longton. Just as the doctor arrived, the sick 
man drew a long breath, and straightened out ; after 
which he was, upon examination, pronounced dead, and 
was consequently laid out. Something like half an hour 
passed, when the supposed corpse gave a slight cough, and 
spit up a mouthful of bloody matter. Medical aid was 
called in, and at last accounts the man was likely to get 
well. 

In February, 1876, the body of Mrs. Harriet Westervelt, 
of Bloomingdale, N.J., was prepared for burial. When the 
undertaker was about screwing down the coffin-lid, the 
supposed corpse started up, saying, in a loud voice, " My 
God ! what are you going to do with me ? " She was re- 
moved from the coffin, and placed in bed, where she soon 
after expired. The " Patterson Guardian," says that the 
undertaker, before putting her in the casket, had asked the 
daughter, "if she really thought her mother was dead?" 
They were both horrified, when the supposed corpse sat up 
in the coffin, and exclaimed as above. Dr. MacWithey 
was sent for with all despatch, and on arrival found the 
woman lying still, and unconscious ; and, after an examina- 
tion, pronounced her dead, saying, that she had just ex- 
pired, perhaps from the the terrible fright. After she had 
spoken as described, there were no signs of animation, 
which fact gave the body all the more the appearance of a 
dead person sitting up, speaking but a single sentence, and 
then relapsing into the everlasting stillness of death. Had 
she been buried with the haste that usually attends funerals, 



AND RESTORATION. 5 I 

she would have experienced her momentary return to life 
while in her grave. 

One Sunday, in June, i860, in Cattaraugus, N.Y., a child 
died, and on the following Monday, preparations for the 
funeral were made. This was held on Monday afternoon, 
and the body of the child, attended by a number of friends, 
was conveyed to the grave. As the earth began to fall 
upon the coffin, a feeble cry was heard. The coffin was 
instantly raised and opened, and a shriek of "Mother!" 
burst from the lips of the terrified child. The child is in a 
fair way of recovery. 

Near Columbus, Ga., an old fellow, known as " Bare- 
foot Walker " (not having worn shoes for forty years), ap- 
parently died, about a week ago (earlier than this date, 
March, 1880), at the age of ninety-five years. His friends 
thought him old enough to be dead, so they laid him in his 
coffin, and were about to bear him to his grave, when he 
suddenly arose, and demanded to know "what they meant 
by such treatment ? " The astonished assembly had not a 
word of apology for their actions, and immediately left the 
old man master of the situation. 

In Holderness, N.H., in the year 1835, a man by the 
name of Drew, on a certain occasion, laid a bet that he 
could drink a pint of rum at one draught. This he did, 
but soon became insensible, and was laid out for dead. 
Next day he was buried, many of those present remark- 
ing, " How lifelike he looks ! What a color there is in his 
face ! " Great drops of sweat stood upon his forehead. 
Some friends arriving next day, the body was taken up ; 
he had evidently revived, torn his grave-clothes, and bitten 
his arm in his agony, and died. 

Near Stratford, Canada, a young man died, was laid in 
the tomb over night. Next day, two men, while carrying 
the body to the grave, heard a noise in the coffin. In their 
fright they dropped it, and ran off ; but the man broke 



52 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

open the coffin, and went after aid, dressed as he was in his 
grave-clothes. 

[Saratoga '"Sun," November n, 1882.] 

Last Tuesday afternoon, Mrs. W. L. Pettit, wife of the 
Teller of the First National Bank of Fort Wayne, Indiana, 
apparently died, and the undertaker took charge of the 
body. Arrangements were making for the funeral, and 
watchers were sitting by the supposed corpse. At ten 
o'clock at night, a faint sigh was heard coming from the 
body ; the watchers started to their feet with alarm, 
stepped to her side, found her eyes were wide open, while, 
in a voice that was scarcely an audible whisper, she re- 
cognized them, and asked for her husband. For a moment 
the attendants were speechless with wonder at the resur- 
rection of the dead ; then, with the revulsion of feeling, 
they almost screamed with excitement. The husband 
came in haste, and, with joy unspeakable, clasped his living 
wife in his arms. The doctor was sent for, and was as 
much astonished as the rest of the household at beholding 
living one whom, in his exact medical science, he had de- 
clared dead. He administered the proper restoratives, and 
the patient rapidly recovered. 

While bathing in a river at Rumney, N.H., a little girl, 
ten years old, daughter of a Mr. Spaulding, sank under the 
water. Her companion went for assistance. The body 
was found about half an hour after it sank, was taken to 
the house, and appeared to be dead. The usual remedies 
were applied, and about twelve hours after she was taken 
from the water, she became slightly conscious ; but did not 
regain her senses entirely for two days. 

The " Church Advocate and Christian Witness," of 
August 17, 1855, says: "In a flourishing town in a mid- 
land county, a clergyman died. On the third day his wife 
and daughter recalled the fact that no likeness remained 
of him they so fondly cherished. It was agreed that, 'ere 



AND RESTORATION. 53 

the grave closed over him, a portrait should be taken. A 
young lady of some professional celebrity was engaged for 
the task. She, with the assistance of the attendant, took 
off the shroud, and placed the body in the requisite posi- 
tion ; but other duties required her attention ; the sketch 
was deferred until noon. About twelve o'clock, at the 
foot of the bed, the young lady commenced and went 
through an hour's work on this image of death. At this 
stage of the proceedings, the head of the deathlike figure 
fell on one side. Nothing daunted, the artist took the 
head to replace it, when, lo ! the eyes opened, and, looking 
her full in the face, the supposed dead man inquired, ' Who 
are you ? ' The young professional, without trepidation, 
took the bandage from his head, and rubbed his neck. He 
immediately saw the shroud, and laughed immoderately. 
The artist called the family, and their joy may be imagined 
better than described. That evening he who had been 
bemoaned as dead was in his seat at the tea-table ; and at 
the time of writing, was making a tour of North Wales." 

" At this date, March 15, 1882, Miss Josephine Ryman, 
of Evansville, Indiana, is just recovering from a remarka- 
ble sickness, at her sister's, Mrs. Brown. Josephine, being 
an orphan, went to work in Saint James, a small village. 
One Saturday evening last winter she went to a singing 
school, and, soon after being seated, felt a strange sensation 
in her head, accompanied with pains in her back. She 
started to go out, but, on attempting to stand, dropped in a 
dead faint. She was carried home to her friends, who 
thought it a fit, from which she would soon recover, but 
she lay as though dead. Sunday passed, and she remained 
with no change. The body became cooler and cooler, the 
eyes were open and staring, the lips apart. Physicians 
pronounced life extinct. The priest administered the last 
rites of the church, the robes and other clothing were pre- 
pared, the coffin ordered, and the friends about taking 



54 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

their farewell look at poor Josie. All Monday passed, with 
the same condition of the body, but at evening a slight 
change gave the friends hope that it might be only a 
trance. Restoratives were applied, but she lay as pale as 
marble, but there was wanting the icy feeling to the touch 
that denotes death. On the fourth clay the priest was 
again sent for, and, after consulting with the physician, said, 
' It is a trance, and she may come out of it ; however it 
will be but momentary ; she will relapse ; she cannot live.' 
Accordingly, the burial was set for the next clay. Imagine 
the feelings of horror this girl must have experienced, — to 
know and hear all that passed when her friends kissed her 
with ' Good-by, Josie,' and she strove to move, but could 
not. The sisters began cutting off her hair, took half of 
it ; she felt the steel scissors, and as they turned her head 
to get at the other side of it, some slight motion or move- 
ment convinced them that she was still alive. Soon she 
sat up, and recovery rapidly followed. In a few days she 
was able to give an account of her sensations and horrible 
feelings. The reviving was ten times more painful than 
the dying." 

[From the Detroit "Free Press," September, 1882.] 

Last Sunday a scene took place so appalling as to blanch 
the faces and press the life, for the moment, from the hearts 
of those who witnessed it. The relatives and friends of a 
deceased lady assembled in the Washington Congregational 
Cemetery to remove the body from the receiving vault, 
where it had been deposited to await the return of the 
husband, and in order to inter it with kindred dead. The 
circumstances attending the illness and death of the lady 

were unusually sad. Mrs. B had but recently returned 

from a Southern station, where she went to join her hus- 
band, who is master's mate in the United States navy. 
A complication of maladies rendered her such a sufferer 
that opiates were resorted to, in order to afford relief. 



AND RESTORATION. 55 

When her recovery was despaired of, her husband was tele- 
graphed for, but was unable to return immediately. He 
arrived the latter part of last week, when arrangements 
for the final burial were made. When the casket had been 
taken from the vault, the husband desired to look for the 
last time upon the face of his beloved dead. The attend- 
ants removed the outer lid, so that the face could be viewed 
through the glass. 

The changed position of the body, and disarranged con- 
dition of the clothing at once excited the agonizing suspi- 
cion that a living body had been placed in the tomb. The 
carefully arranged hair had been displaced, and lay in dis- 
order over the shoulders ; the flowers which had been 
placed on her bosom were scattered ; the folded hands had 
been wrenched asunder, the palms were open, and the fin- 
gers strained apart ; the eyes were started from their 
sockets. 

The changes which would naturally take place after a 
lapse of eleven days from death, would account for some 
of the alterations which had taken place. But the dishev- 
elled hair, the position of the hands, and the distorted fea- 
tures, leave the horrible conviction, that the unhappy lady 
sank into that counterfeit of death, suspended animation, 
and revived, to find herself coffined and'entombed as dead. 

" A most singular circumstance has been brought to our 
notice," says the Laconia (N.H.) " Tocsin," of the 14th Sep- 
tember, 1882, — "a remarkable case of suspended anima- 
tion which happened in Canada ; and, as some parties con- 
nected with the affair are residents and well known here, 
an account of the occurrence in detail may be interesting 
to our readers. 

"The subject of this narration is one of the daughters 
of Joseph Morin, residing on the St. Lawrence, in tire 
beautiful city of Saint Levi, three and a half miles from 
Quebec. Mr. Morin has a family of five children, two sons 



$6 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

and three daughters. One of the latter, named Delina, 
about twenty years old, being ambitious to support herself, 
came to the United States, and secured a place in the 
hosiery mill of H. P. Holt, in this town. 

" About the first of last month Delina received a letter 
from home with the information that her younger sister 
Angie, some fifteen years of age, had been suddenly taken 
ill, and no hopes were entertained of her recovery ; and 
further, that Angie was very desirous of seeing her sister, 
for whom she had the greatest affection, before her death. 
Delina at once prepared to visit home. Some two hours 
later she received a telegram stating that her sister was 
dead. She started for Canada that evening on the Mont- 
real night-express train, and arrived home next morning, 
only to find the telegram true. 

" Preparations had been made for the funeral next day at 
nine o'clock. The grave-clothes were prepared and ad- 
justed, the coffin procured, and the body lay shrouded and 
inclosed therein, ready for the last sad rites. The attend- 
ants at evening, who were to watch the remains, entered 
upon their duty for the night. At intervals the face of the 
girl was bathed with a liquid preparation to prevent putre- 
faction, which soon follows death. About four o'clock in 
the morning the attendant, in passing the hand over the 
face of the apparently lifeless girl, was astonished at the 
warmth, which excited the keenest' interest. By close vigi- 
lance for an hour or so, further evidences of returning life 
were observed. , 

" The friends were at once aroused, and great was their 
surprise and delight upon assembling around the coffin. 
A most remarkable change had taken place. The face, 
which at night was pale and deathlike, now had a ruddy 
glow. A murmur of hope escaped from the friends : 
' Something must be done at once. Can it be that Angie 
lives ? ' The family physician was called, and saw signs of 



AND RESTORATION. 57 

returning life. The lancet was used, and blood flowed 
from an open vein in the arm. From that time her re- 
covery was rapid. She opened her eyes ; consciousness 
was restored, and soon loving hands were ministering to 
her wants. The effect of the sudden transition from death 
to life upon the family and friends may only be imagined. 
The young lady asserts, ' that although unable to move, 
she was all the while keenly conscious of all that was going 
on, and fully realized her terrible situation.' The young 
lady, when last heard from by her friends in the place, had 
nearly regained her usual health." 

The late Dr. Dana, of Cambridge, Mass., told the author 
the following case, which came under his observation at 
the workhouse : A man who had shown signs of great de- 
pression of spirits, was one day missed by the occupants 
of the place for a time, and upon making a search, his body 
was found suspended in an outbuilding. From the time 
when he was missed to the time when the body was found, 
was thought to be three-quarters of an hour. The doctor's 
students wished to try if he could be revived, after 
strangulation so long and complete ; they were on hand 
when the body was taken down ; and from the manner of 
hanging there had been very little drop, and no disloca- 
tion of the neck. The doctor was very doubtful of their 
success ; but after about three hours' working over him, 
the man revived, and consequently was obliged to remain 
an inhabitant of the workhouse a while longer. This took 
place about the year 1838. 

Mrs. McLaren, of Boston, a friend of the author, related 
the case of her son, when a lad at Newton, Mass. He was 
with the haymakers in the field, and they having loaded 
and bound the hay to the cart by a pole, as is the custom 
where the ground is uneven and the hay to be hauled a 
long distance, men and boy started for home. Soon the 
load tipped over on its side ; the men were perplexed as to 



5o SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

how it could be righted, or to liberate the chain which 
held the pole, this being tighter than when the load was in 
an upright position. After a while the inquiry was made, 
" What has become of the boy who was following the cart ? " 
He had not been seen to go ahead, and after a few moments' 
consultation they concluded that he must be tinder that load 
of hay, and so got fence rails to pry it up. They then be- 
gan in earnest to pull away the hay with their hands, to 
make an opening ; soon they saw a foot, and from that 
moment they pulled hay with a vengeance, until the boy was 
liberated. They took him home, a fearful sight ; blood 
running from the mouth, nose, and ears, told of the press- 
ure that had been upon him ; and as they expressed it, the 
boy was "as flat as a board." The mother was frantic with 
grief, and begged them to rub and bring him to life again. 
They thought, like the neighbors, that it was a useless 
task ; but to pacify the mother (who almost in a state of 
insanity walked the house imploring them to bring her boy 
back to life), continued their exertions that evening, all 
night, and next morning, until they had spent in all about 
fourteen hours, when the lad revived, fully recovered, and 
has not experienced any ill-effects from the accident. He 
has grown to manhood, and, added the mother, " You can 
see him by going to his place of business at Newton." 
The name of this gentleman is Fuller, and his residence 
was at Newton Lower Falls. 

We had a case of asphyxia from drowning for trial ; 
while on the way from Boston to Cambridge, we saw a 
gathering of persons on the shore, and, being called by 
name, made haste to the spot. A lad who had been under 
water for fifty-five or sixty-five minutes was taken out, 
hauled in a wagon to his home, o^e-eighth of a mile dis- 
tant, placed on a mattress, on a bedstead, and with a pil- 
low under his head ; two strong men took off their vests, 
r.nd lay one each side of him, and, as directed, embraced 



AND RESTORATION. 59 

him firmly, then relaxed their hold, and continued their ex- 
ertions, while five were rubbing the feet, hands, and head ; 
the electro-magnetic battery was used after the first halt- 
hour, the body and limbs became flexible and warm ; after 
an hour and a half fresh blood oozed from a cut in the lip, 
and one of the assistants exclaimed, " See the blood on the 
pillow ! " At this time in came the family physician with a 
scowl on his face, felt for a pulse, and looked around upon 
the operatives with a sinister smile. We remarked, " There 
is neither pulse nor respiration, the boy having been under 
water about an hour ; but we hope to resuscitate him, and 
would like your assistance." He left the room in a sullen 
manner. We said to our helpers, " He will do nothing ; 
the burden of labor rests upon us, and we will do what we 
can without him." He soon returned, however, and with 
an angry look, inquired, ''How came you here? Who 
sent for you ? " W T e replied, " The voice of the people, 
which is the voice of God ; the people called as we ap- 
proached and we obeyed." He again left the room, sav- 
ins:, "He 's dead." At this crisis fresh arterial blood started 
again from the lip, and some one said, " See the blood." 
We answered, "Just what pleases us — the more of it the 
better." Very soon in came the family doctor and in a high 

and imperative tone, said, "I am requested by Airs.' " 

(the mother) " to tell you to stop working over that dead 
boy." The order fell upon us like a sheet of snow ; the 
men were tired, wanting in faith, had worked more than 
two hours, and hearing the mother's order ceased all efforts, 
the lad being left to his fate. Our medical friends who 
heard the facts in the case sustained us in the opinion, 
that the bleeding from the lip gave strong evidence of re- 
turning life, by the circulation of blood in the skin and ex- 
tremities, and that four, six, or eight hours of efforts would 
have been rewarded by a restored boy. The father of the 
boy was absent from home ; but on hearing the facts, sus- 
tained our opinion. 



60 SUSPENDED ANIMATION 

It has been, and still is, an inexcusable custom when a 
person has been under water for fifteen or twenty minutes, 
or has been strangled by a rope, suffocated with coal gas, 
found dead in bed or in field, to leave the patient and 
send for a doctor. He, of course, arrives as soon as pos- 
sible, — in an hour, more or less ; and after working over 
the body for half an hour or so, pronounces life extinct, 
remarking in many instances, "Half an hour sooner, and I 
might have brought him to life." 

Our purpose in speaking in this manner is to impress 
upon our readers the great importance of promptness. Let 
not a minute be lost befo7'e commencing operations for the 
person's restoration. If nothing is done until the doctor ar- 
rives, all such time is wholly lost ; and though 'tis better 
to have a physician in charge, to aid with his skill and ex- 
perience, besides inspiring courage, still those present should 
begin to work over the body as soon as found, or recovered. 
Bear in mind that every minute s delay makes the recovery 
more difficult to bring about, no matter by whom attempted. 

Bruhier, in his dissertation upon the uncertainty of the 
signs of death, and the abuse of precipitate interments, has 
collected one hundred and eighty cases, in which persons 
were treated as dead, when life was not extinct. Fifty-two 
of them were actually buried alive. Four were cut open 
before it was discovered that life was present. Fifty-three 
revived after being placed in their coffins, without any 
efforts being made over them. And seventy-one are sup- 
posed to have died when they really had not. Facts such 
as these are far from being rare, and we have related 
enough to satisfy the most doubting ; yet, did we think it 
necessary, could narrate many more ; but should the num- 
ber recounted be largely increased it would not begin to 
include all the instances known only to persons interested, 
while the whole number of cases which are known to us to 
have occurred, forms but a po} tion of the grand total of those 



AND RESTORATION. 6 1 

cases in which animation could have been revived, or in 
which it has awakened, unknown to man, and we do not 
think this statement will be doubted by those of our read- 
ers who have investigated the subject, and informed them- 
selves regarding it. 

The whole subject, while it awakens the most painful re- 
flections, and, in the minds of many who read these pages, 
sincere regrets, should excite observation, and induce great 
care and the closest scrutiny in every case, especially of sud- 
den death, and the most positive assurance of real decease 
should be obtained, before the body is put in cJiarge of those 
whose duty it is to prepare the same for the grave. It is 
oiily by securing such evidence that the Jwrrible possibility 
of being buried alive ca?i be avoided. 

To awake to consciousness from what may be but the 
sleep of returning health, only to find one's self clothed in 
the robes of death, and enclosed in its remorseless grasp ; 
to feel the sickening pang which the first realization of 
this frightful condition produces ; to struggle without one 
ray of hope to cheer, with, it may be the hum of life rolling 
overhead within hearing. All these are ideas so filled 
with horror, that the death-struggles scarcely add to it. 
And these thoughts all impress us in the most vivid and 
never-to-be-forgotten manner, that under no circumstances 
should the risk of this horrible mistake be incurred. 



62 suspended animation. 

Extracts from a Lecture Delivered at Everett 
Hall, in Brooklyn, N.Y., June, 1883, by J. D. 
Beugless, Esq. 

While speaking on the subject of premature interments, 
or burying alive, he says words to this effect : That an 
undertaker in this city recently made provision in his will, 
and exacted a promise from his wife of great caution, that 
his body shall be cremated, being induced thereto by the 
fear of being buried alive. Live burials, he says he be- 
lieves, are far more frequent than most people think. It is 
reported that another undertaker of Brooklyn, some time 
since, deposited a body in a receiving-vault temporarily, 
and when he went some days later to remove it for burial, 
what was his horror upon opening the niche in which the 
coffin had been placed, to find the body crouching at the 
door, stark in death, the hair dishevelled, the flesh of 
the arms eaten or larcerated and torn, and the face having 
the most appalling expression of horror and despair ever 
witnessed by mortal eyes. 

" Seven hours in a coffin added ten years to my life," 
was the remark of Martin Strong, of Twelfth Street, Phila- 
delphia, some time after quitting the coffin in which his 
family had placed him for burial, after Dr. Cummings had 
given a certificate of his death. Frank Stoop, of Clar- 
incla, Iowa, was laid out for burial not long since, a phy- 
sician having certified to his death ; but fortunately he 
awoke from his state of coma in time to save his life. 

In epidemics of small-pox, cholera, yellow fever, and the 
like, as has been shown at Norfolk and Portsmouth, large 
numbers are hurried into the grave alive. W. H. Clark, 
of Henry County, Mo., was seized with cholera while 
travelling across the plains, and having died, as was sup- 
posed, was buried by his companions at the point where 
the old Santa Fe trail crossed the Arkansas River. After 



SUSPENDED ANIMATION. 6$ 

his fellow-travellers had gone on, the Indians exhumed his 
body to get his blankets, and finding signs of life in him, 
they applied restoratives, and Clark subsequently overtook 
his companions at Prescott, Arizona, where he was living 
at last accounts. The late C. A. Read, of Newton, Mass., 
left in his will directions to his attending physician to 
sever his head from his body after death, -to prevent the 
possible horror of being buried alive, and left him a fee of 
five hundred dollars for the service. The advocates of 
cremation claim that by their disposition of bodies, many 
would avoid the danger of being buried alive. 

We confess we see but a feeble choice between crema- 
tion and being beheaded, whether alive or dead. In either 
case the game of life will be up. 



INDEX 



SUSPENDED ANIMATION OR BURIED ALIVE. 



A. 

Animals, lower order of . 

Asphyxia, death from .... 

Animals dormant for months . 

Alcepiades of Rome restores from cremation 

Aviola Acilius burned alive 

Abbe Prevost died under the knife 

Arkansas man frozen and recovered 

Advocates of cremation avoid burial alive 



5 
8 
8 

17 
18 

25 
47 
63 



B. 

Bleed in the foot or arm to revive animation 
Boy lay ten days dormant and recovered 
Beach's, Dr., case death by freezing 
Burying alive, danger of . 
Beatty's, Prof., idea of burying alive 
Brought to life by post-mortem's knife 
Bishop of Bordeaux saved lives 
Bouton's, Rev. Dr., conviction 
Barbara Liefeldt, Baltimore, Md. . 

B , Mrs., Washington, D.C., buried alive 

Burlington, Wis., trance .... 
Beugless, J. D., Brooklyn, N.Y., on cremation 



13 
i4 

15 
16 

19 
19 
24 
4i 
49 
54 
34 
62 



65 



66 



INDEX. 



c. 

Catalepsy, peculiarities of 

Ceremony of burning the body 

Col. Favor's Str., collision with schooner 

Cymbals arouse a woman 

Child drowned in tank .... 

Claim of $150 on dead man . 

Coroner Young, of New York, and restoration 

Case of child at sea on ship . 

Case at Hadley, Mass., bled and cupped 

Case at Grafton, buried alive . 

Crane, Mrs., from sunstroke . 

Chandler, Miss, near Tingsboro, Mass. . 

Child in New Orleans, case of 

Colored woman dormant 

Cleighton, John, Painterhood . 

Cattaraugus,' N.Y., child recovered .* 

Clergyman recovered coffined for dead . 

Common custom, case of dormancy 

Clark, W. H., Henry County, Mo., exhumed alive 

Custom of burial, many notions 



D. 



Death by drowning, hanging, or choking 
Drowning, process of ... 
Directions for restoring . 
Drowning in St. Andrew's harbor . 
Debate in French Assembly, " Burials " 
Dr. McK.'s resolve for future . 
Dr. Dana, Cambridge, hanging restored . 
Drowning, asphyxia, Cambridge 
Drew, Holderness, N.H. 



INDEX. 67 



E. 



Experiments with cats, dogs, and rabbits . . 9 

Epidemics — cholera, small-pox, yellow fever, etc. . 63 



Fredericton, N.B., restoration 27 

Fletcher, Mrs. N. B„ Concord, N.H. ... 41 
Frost-fish, alive while frozen .... 7 



Greeks and Romans . . . . . . 17 

Girl in Cleveland restored by glass . . 26 

Grafton, Mass., buried alive ; . . . 32 

H. 

Hadley, case bled and cupped 32 

Howard Theatre, case revived . -33 

Hammell, John, Seneca Falls ... .49 

H , Thomas, Burlington, Iowa . « • 35 

I. 

Infants before birth . > 14 

Incisions aroused a lady ..... 23 

Importance of prompt action 60 

Jewish custom of burial 19 

K. 

King, Miss S., Stonington, Conn. . . .36 



68 



INDEX. 



L. 



Lightning, death by 






14 


Laemio, the Praetor, burned alive 






18 


Lady revived by a thief . 






22 


Lady in New Orleans 






35 


Lad at Irasburg, Vt, restored 






48 


Lady revived by cold wash 






48 


London Hospital, woman 






30 


Lady at Highgate, Vt. . 


. 




33 


Lady at Freelandsville . 






46 



M. 

Man revived, ran home . 

Myers, Henry, restored . 

Munich, city of, burial . 

Merrill, Jacob, Campton, N.H., drowned 

McLaren, Boston, son recovered 

Morin, Delina, Canada, recovered . 

Man from steam-box died 

Man in Palmer, Mass. . 



22 

39 
40 

43 
57 
55 
43 
34 



O. 

Our presence at post-mortem . 
Opinions of fathers in medicine . ' 
Opinions of medical men to-day 
Opinions of doctors, time for drowning 
Ottawa, Canada, small-pox 



42 

8 

9 
n 

49 



Persons lie dormant 

Persons in trance or catalepsy 

Practice of burial present time 



10 
19 



INDEX, 



69 



Painful recollections of buried friends 
Prince Edward Island young man . 
Pettit, Mrs. W. L., Fort Wayne 



61 

44 
52 



Q- 



Quinn's, Mrs. child, Boston 



38 



R. 

Restoration, time required 
Roman and Greek burial 
Recorded, Society for Restoration, 1st 
Revived by incision of knife . 
Royal Academy of France, burial . 
Report of Supt. Cemetery, France . 
Restored by knife, woman, Algeria 
Ryman, Miss Josephine, Evansville, Ind 
Rumney, N.H., revival in coffin 
Recovery, after drowning, time of . 
Recovering persons, 1st Society 
Read, C. H Milton, Mass. . 





12 




17 




17 




20 




22 




22 




24 




53 




33 




11 




9 




. 63 



s. 

Sandusky County, case of 

Shaw, Benjamin, report of, Gardiner, Me. 

Spaulding girl, Rumney, N.H., revived . 

Stratford, Canada, revived 

Swallows home in winter 

Swallows dug in mud 

Swallows shown by freshet 

Snakes and toads live without air . 

Strong, Martin, Philadelphia, coffined 

Stoop, Frank, Clarinda, Iowa . 



27 

38 

52 

5i 
6 
6 
7 
7 
62 
62 






70 



INDEX. 






T. 

Time from death to burial 

Tests of life, bleeding and blistering 

Toads in solid granite 

Tenant, Rev. Wm., recovery . 

U. 

Undertaker of Brooklyn, N.Y., caution 
Undertaker of Brooklyn, body revived 



Vesale, Andrew 
Vassalboro, Me., 



V. 

— Philip II. of Spain 
man restored 

W. 



Water in lungs of drowned 
Woman revived by burning straw . 
Woman of Algeria restored by knife 
Wife restored in Detroit by glass . 
Wells; E., Mrs., Woodstock, N.H., revived 
Webster, Sheldon, Plymouth, N.H. 
Webster, Walter, Bridgewater, N.H. 
Wife at Westfield buried alive 
Westvelt, Harriet, Bloomingdale, N.Y. . 
Walker, Barefoot, Columbus, O. 



18 

15 
6 

44 



62 
62 



21 
29 



10 

22 
24 

25 
26 

37 
47 
48 

50 
5i 



